


Two Wrongs

by JLaLa



Series: Two Wrongs [1]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Complete
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-12 04:23:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 178,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JLaLa/pseuds/JLaLa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Katniss, you’re my best friend and I love you but seriously-marry you?” A marriage for the unmarriageable. Modern Day AU, set in San Francisco.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Peeta

Something that is a complete turnaround from my last story.

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. I merely like to mess around with them.

This is an AU so please be aware that there will be major differences.

They say two wrongs don't make it right  
So if I'm wrong I ain't trying to fight  
I'm trying to have some dinner with some candlelight  
Lay up in the bed and make love all night…

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Prologue: Peeta

_"If you wanna be happy_  
 _For the rest of your life,_  
 _Never make a pretty woman your wife,_  
 _So from my personal point of view,_  
 _Get an ugly girl to marry you…"_

"Dumbest song ever," Katniss says to me in disgust. She lowers the volume on the radio and then goes back to playing with the tip of her braid.

"Please don't touch my radio," I tell her. "I don't go around touching any of your things."

It's one of those rare warm days in the San Francisco and the beach in front of us is packed. We both opt to stay inside of my car, a 1955 Chevy, instead of getting our feet dirty in the blazing hot sand.

Katniss sits with her back on the dashboard and her feet propped up next to the headrest. I sit at the driver's side and look over at the car next to us where a bunch of surfers are suiting up by their truck.

I turn my attention over back to Katniss, who is still playing with the tip of her braid, except now she is humming along with the song while tapping her foot.

"I thought you didn't like this song," I tease her and she glares at me. We have been best friends since we were five and she still has the same glare.

"The melody is catchy but the song itself is bad." She turns up the volume so I can listen to the lyrics. "This song is telling you to marry someone ugly because she'll cook for you and never leave. It's sexist if you ask me."

"No, it's not." I push my blond hair away from my face. "It's telling you to never marry anyone pretty because they'll just cause you misery."

Katniss gives me a flirty grin. "Well, I guess you can't marry me then."

I play along. "I thought you were never getting married."

"I'm not," she assures me.

Since I've known her, Katniss has had strict beliefs when it comes to marriage. Her father was killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver and her mother had fallen into a deep depression after his death. She had to be hospitalized for a month during our junior year. It had been hard on Katniss, who was juggling two jobs and going to school. Not to mention, she was taking care of Primrose, her younger sister.

Her mother has been getting treatment since her release and is back to work as a nurse at a retirement facility so Katniss can be a regular student.

We are both knee deep in our first semester. Katniss is pursuing her degree in Environmental Studies at SF State on a partial scholarship while I work on getting a Business degree.

"And yourself?" Katniss looks over at me with her deep grey eyes and I scoff.

"Yeah right," I reply. "Do you think I want to be like my Dad? I love him but I don't want to spend the rest of my life being nagged by someone like my mother. I also don't want to be married to some gold digger like Wheaton's first wife."

Wheaton is my oldest brother and has been unlucky in love for the longest time. He is currently on wife number three.

"Hmmm," Katniss muses and then meets my eyes again. "Maybe the song is right then. Maybe you will have to marry an ugly girl." She is trying not to laugh when she says it.

"Oh yeah?" I leap out of the car and run over to her side. Opening the door, I pick her up easily and throw her body over my shoulder.

Katniss is screaming while pounding her fists on my lower back. The surfers next to us are applauding and laughing as I carry her with me into the icy water.

________________________________________

Six Months Later

"Is this supposed to be choking me?" I ask my father in a tight voice. He walks up to me and looks at the knotting of my tie.

"Looks fine to me," he says with a fond smile.

"I don't think it's the tie that's choking you," Ryland or Rye, my other brother jokes as Wheaton smacks him in the gut. My mother remains motionless in the background.

San Francisco City Hall is an architectural gem and I've always loved coming here with my Dad since I was a kid. He had to renew all of our business licenses annually and always brought me along if I didn't have school.

I look out from the top of the grand staircase and my eyes gaze out at the rotunda and then up at the beautiful dome. Across is the Mayor's office and above the grand clock.

It's almost noon.

Maybe she's changed her mind.

I turn back to my family, who are looking at me like I'm insane. They have every right to think so.

"Wait!" I hear the high pitch yell of Prim who is rushing towards me in a bright pink dress. She tries to tackle me, throwing her arms around my waist when she reaches the top of the stairs. I grin down at her. "It's so cool to be here on a school day," she says.

"Well, you couldn't miss this," I tell her affectionately. "It wouldn't be the same without you, Prim."

"I'm so happy for you," she replies. "I know how much you've wanted this." My face heats up and she giggles at my expression. "She's on her way."

Prim goes to greet the rest of my family and I look at my watch.

It's noon.

The elevator dings and I turn to see Katniss. My heart literally stops.

"I'm here. Damn if I was going to walk up those stairs in these heels," she says with a groan.

Delly and Madge, who are two of our friends, follow her in wearing dark colored dresses. Madge is fussing over Katniss while Delly has her camera and is taking photos of everything.

At this point, I'm not sure if this is something I want to record.

"How do I look?" Katniss asks and she does a little spin for me.

She is wearing an ivory knee length dress. It is form fitting and lacy, with three-quarter sleeves and a square neckline which exposes a modest amount of cleavage. She is wearing a gold necklace with a bow and arrow charm. Her dark hair is curled and atop her head is a round fascinator with silky netting that grazes her eyes.

She looks beautiful. She looks like a bride.

She is a bride. Most importantly, she is my bride.

"Are you ready?" the officiant asks us.

I meet Katniss' eyes and I know she is thinking the same thing. How the hell did we get here?

Taking her hand, we walk over to the officiant who is waiting patiently for us. The woman gives us a kind smile and our friends and family surround us in a semi-circle. Prim is smiling at us with tears in her eyes. Rye is checking Madge out while Wheaton looks like he is itching to take his cell phone out. He has reminded me five times that he is missing an important meeting with our suppliers to come to this.

My parents stand on opposite sides of the semi-circle.

Delly snaps away with her Nikon.

I look over at Katniss, not quite believing that this beautiful woman is the same girl who has grown up with me. We've been through hell and back together these past few months.

Now it's come to this.

"What are you thinking?" Katniss whispers as the officiant starts her speech about the sanctity of marriage and such.

I look at her pretty face and she gives me a grateful smile.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Katniss quirks an eyebrow at me. "That song was complete bullshit."

________________________________________

I know it's short but well…it's a prologue.

The song "If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life" is sung by Jimmy Soul.

If you've never been to San Francisco, I would suggest doing an image search on City Hall because it's gorgeous. I guess I'm a little bias because I got married in City Hall.

I will continue to refer to other places in San Francisco. Thought I'd change it up a bit from other AU's. Maybe you should consider coming to San Francisco?

I am trying to keep people in character to an extent.

My other project is a one shot from the 'All I Know' universe. Since I'm on vacation I can work on both but the one shot will be longer.

Review if you'd like and personal messages are always welcome. Alerts too!

Next: Chapter One from Katniss's POV

-JLaLa


	2. Katniss

Wow! Thank you for all your support!

Once again, the characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me; I just like to mess with them.

I'm so used to the pain that I  
Can't see the sunshine no more  
I'm so used to the pain that  
the sickness feels like the cure

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz (Two Wrongs)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter One: Katniss

_Five Months Earlier_

"Well, it's been fun," the blond boy says to me as he walks me to the door. The porch light is on. Thank goodness. At least I know he won't try to go in for a kiss since there is a chance that my Mom might see us.

He is looking at me expectantly and I give him a weak smile.

"Yeah, it's been fun Ca…" Oh God, what was his name again? Calvin or something? I try not to snap my fingers when it comes back to me. "…Cato."

The loud engine of a familiar car catches my attention and I look over across the street to where the Mellark Bakery is. I see Peeta in the driver's seat. He catches my eyes and does a onceover of my date.

Getting out of the car, he walks over to the passenger side and opens the door for a skinny redhead. I can see her sharp features under the nearby streetlight. The foxfaced redhead giggles and he puts an arm around her. She presses her body against his.

He always takes his dates to the Bakery. A girl can't resist a guy who can bake a delicious cupcake, he tells me.

As they walk to the door of the bakery, I see him hold his fingers up so I can see them. Four.

"I'll call you tomorrow," I tell Cato and give him a friendly hug. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hold up my fingers for Peeta to see. Two.

Peeta grimaces and gives me a sympathetic smile. The redhead giggles again and nuzzles his ear. I am going to give him so much crap after he drops her off from wherever he found her.

It's our Friday Night ritual. Rate the Date.

So far, we haven't rated anyone over a six. The six was from me and it was because the guy brought me to a movie that I really wanted to see at the Kabuki in Japantown. He also got me drinks. Poor thing thought that I could be brought down with a tiny martini or two.

Sometimes I wonder if I should've taken Gale up on that offer. On the other hand, our one time fling was a very big disaster.

I say goodbye to Cato and open the front door to my house. Cato looks dejected as he walks to his car while across the street, Peeta's redhead is throwing up on the sidewalk. He is still holding her hair up as I watch Cato drive away.

Our eyes meet again and with his free hand, he holds up his index finger. One.

Ouch.

++++++

Walking into the house, I am greeted by my younger sister Prim, who is watching some sort of music competition on television in the living room. She is fourteen and a freshman at Lowell High School, a sort of magnet school. It is almost guaranteed that she will get into a good college if she is successful there. I kiss the top of her head and ruffle her blonde hair.

My mother is at the dining table going over our expenses and I see her pressing two fingers to her temple. I can tell that she is stressed out over something, most likely our bills.

We were never super close, but with my Dad's passing and her admittance into a mental health facility, the divide had become bigger. I resented her for leaving us. We nearly starved during that time. If it hadn't been for the food stamps that the hospital's social worker helped us apply for, then we would've been lost. While she was gone, Gale's mom, Hazelle, watched over us.

As my Mom began to progress, we agreed to family therapy. It wasn't easy, especially for someone like me. I can be very distrustful of people and not willing to share.

Now after all the tears have been shed, we have become closer than we've ever been.

My Mom gives me a smile. "How did it go?"

"I love you, Mom, but next time one of the doctors wants to set their son up, please respectfully decline." I sit next to her and place my purse on the table.

"Sounds bad," she tells me as she writes out a check. "What happened?"

"Bad food, bad conversation, bad guy." I laugh to myself. "I guess I can't do as badly as Peeta did."

"Yeah," Prim says as she walks over to the table and grabs an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table. "She is still out there throwing up."

I consider grabbing my camera.

"Katniss, I'm taking a shift at the hospital tonight," Mom tells me. "Please stay home tonight."

"Sure," I tell her, though Prim winks at me. We have an arrangement.

++++++

I knock on the window of the gym and Peeta waves at me from the desk. While the Mellarks own a bakery, they also own a gym in the Outer Richmond District which is about four blocks away from my house. Their third business is an auto shop on 16th and Mission.

Once upon a time, they lived across the street from us above the bakery until they managed to be one of the few families that flourished in the economic decline. The Mellarks still work at each of their businesses. Wheaton manages the auto shop and bakery, while Rye works full time at the auto shop as their head mechanic. Peeta is the only one who works at all three, even though he is the one who is a full-time student. His mother is a regular slave driver who threatened to stop paying his tuition if he didn't comply.

Peeta didn't mind; that's the kind of person he is.

Like him, I also work multiple jobs. The only way to keep our GPA's up is to study when the gym is empty, which is usually around ten at night. By now, Mom has already left for her shift and Prim is tucked in bed, supposedly sleeping. Actually, she is probably texting her best friend, Rue and Gale’s little brother, Rory.

Gale. I can't even think about him right now.

I enter the gym and except for one lone guy on a treadmill, the place is empty.

"Did Foxface make it home alright?" I ask him as I settle in on a flat workout bench and place my backpack on the side.

"Who?" Peeta looks at me with a confused brow from behind the desk.

"One."

He snaps his fingers in recognition. "Oh! Her." Peeta pulls a book out from below the counter. "Yeah, I dropped her off after she threw up on the azaleas in the front of the bakery." He smiles at me. "How about Two?"

"Oh, Cato?" I am highlighting from my textbook as I lay on my stomach on the bench. "He was no good. I don't know how I seem to attract such losers."

"I guess that's why we could never be together," he replies jokingly.

I give him the one finger salute.

"And that attitude of yours is such a delight," Peeta continues and I finally look up so I can glare at him.

"I didn't come here for a lecture on my dating habits," I tell him. "I came here to study, so if you're not going to let me concentrate then I'm leaving." I gather my things and throw them into my bag angrily.

"Katniss, wait," Peeta says and comes out from behind the counter. He puts his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm fine," I tell him. "I'm just tired, I guess, and I've been thinking of Gale." Peeta's face goes somber.

Gale was one of my best friends besides Peeta. He was the boy next door. Then I messed it all up.

After my father died, I was in a real bad place. Mom had been in the mental health facility after she had gone catatonic. One night after too many alcoholic drinks which I found in my house, I came knocking at Gale's door, emotional and needing to be comforted. I was fully aware of his feelings for me and I took advantage of that.

"It was a mistake, Katniss," Peeta says pulling me back to sit on the bench and taking my hand in his. "You were depressed."

My eyes fill with tears. "I let him think that I wanted him. I let him touch me and I let him sleep with me."

The morning after when I realized that I had made a gigantic mistake, I left without saying a word. Poor Gale - he had believed that I felt the same way as him when I had felt nothing.

He even asked me to come with him when he left for college. I close my eyes and can still hear him telling me that he loves me with that broken voice.

I gave him the one thing that I couldn't take back.

That year, Gale graduated and took the first college offer that came through in Washington D.C. and hasn’t been back. His mother, Hazelle, moved to a house in the Sunset with her other kids after he took off.

I haven't heard from him since.

"I think you need some cheering up." Peeta pulls me so I am standing. "Dance it off?"

I shake my head and sit back down. "I need to study." I lay back on my stomach and pull my book back out of my bag. I can hear Peeta retreat back to his desk.

Thwack!

"Ow!" I jump up and turn around. "Did you just towel smack me?" I rub my sore bottom while he smirks.

"Yeah." He backs away from me and tosses the towel over his shoulder. "As an apology, you can pick first."

I shake my head and Peeta smiles impishly at me. Sometimes he is so damn irritating and so damn cute.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" I put my hands on my hips then let out a breath. "Okay."

The last guy has already left, so Peeta locks the door. He turns off the light for the sign outside as well as some of the interior lights in the back area of the gym. I am at the computer shuffling through our personalized playlist. Whenever we find a song we like, we add it in. We have about 500.

"I'm just going to turn on the shuffle." I press play and the loud electronic beat fills the gym.

Peeta holds out his hand and I take it so he can spin me towards him. I place my free hand on his shoulder and he pulls me close. We step together in an exaggerated swing dance. I suddenly find myself grinning when he spins me away only to pull me back again.

_Been there, done that, messed around  
I'm having fun, don't put me down  
I'll never let you sweep me off my feet_

_This time baby,  
I'll be, bulletproof  
This time baby,  
I'll be, bulletproof…_

"You sure you didn't pick this song on purpose?" Peeta says as he moves from side to side. I am dancing on top of the workout bench.

The whole 'dance it off' concept happened after Peeta's crazy Mom threatened to cut him off if he pursued anything other than business.

He needed an outlet to get his frustration out. So the night after the argument, we parked at Twin Peaks, a lookout spot where many come to smoke in their cars or…do other things. I pulled him out of the car after turning up the volume on his radio.

Peeta was sullen as I pulled him close and let our bodies sway together. Al Green sang to calm his nerves and I felt his body relax. I'm sure that many of the people in the cars were either too preoccupied or too high to really care about what we were doing.

Since then, we do this every time one of us is having a bad day.

I jump down from the bench and hug him. "Thank you," I tell him and look into his blue eyes. I realize how long his blond lashes are and that he has a small freckle on his right cheek. "I really needed this."

"You're welcome," he says and I rest my chin on his shoulder. "So, how did you meet Cato?"

"Mom set me up," I mumble. "He is the son of one of the doctors that she works with. How did you meet Foxface?"

"That is a really a great nickname for her," he tells me with a grin. I tilt my head at him and he suddenly looks shameful.

It dawns on me. "You don't know her name, do you?"

Peeta looks at me and then shakes his head guiltily. I start to laugh at him and before long he is laughing with me.

"Oh, Peeta," I smile affectionately at him. My best friend doesn't realize the effect he can have on girls. "Just keep dancing with me."

Peeta kisses my forehead. "Always."

++++++

We walk the four blocks together to my house. It is a quiet night and by this time, the only places that are open are on Clement Street. The bars stay open past midnight while the only restaurant still open is the Thai place near my house.

I let Peeta carry my bag and we talk about our dates. He met Foxface at a party that was being thrown by one of his classmates, Thresh. She was all over him when she realized that he was one of the heirs to the Mellark fortune.

"And you just took advantage of that, didn't you?" I shake my finger at him. "For shame."

"Spare me the lecture," he tells me. "I have to explain why there is vomit all over the azaleas. Mom will probably dock my pay."

"I'll help you with the gardening," I offer. "Prim won't mind either. She has a green thumb."

"You're the best." Peeta puts his arm around my shoulders. I feel safe.

"I know."

The flashing lights catch my eyes and my heart drops. Oh God, Prim!

I am suddenly running towards my house and I stop when I see that there is a police car in front. I see a cop walking up our steps and Prim is at the door letting another cop out.

"PRIM!"

She looks at me and her face is streaked with tears. Prim pushes past the cops and runs toward me in her nightgown. Her feet are bare and her hair is down. She is sobbing when I pull her into my arms.

"Katniss…Mom…" is all she manages to get out. They come towards us and I hold her protectively. Some of the neighbors are peeking out the windows or at their front doors staring at the spectacle that is me and my sister.

"Miss, where were you?" one of the cops asks sternly. "You know that a minor cannot be left alone."

Prim is whimpering and I feel like there is cotton in my mouth. I had told Mom I wouldn't leave. I lied. "You see, o-offic—" I know I'm stammering.

"She was with me," Peeta says, stepping forward. "I own Mellark Gymnasium on 19th and I forgot my keys to lock up. Katniss had my spare so she walked over to give it to me."

The cop looks at him suspiciously before finally nodding. The female cop steps forward.

"Miss Everdeen, your mother was walking towards the Veterans Hospital an hour ago when she was struck by a vehicle…."

After that, it all becomes a blur and the words don't make sense. She is asking about next of kin and body identification. I am moving my head back and forth because it's not true. My Mom can't be gone. We worked so hard to get her better and it was all for nothing.

I am gripping Prim's hand so hard that I'm sure that I am cutting off her circulation. I can feel Peeta close to me as I scream for my Mom. I am sobbing and I am pretty sure that the whole neighborhood is awake now.

Fuck them.

They didn't lose their mother an hour ago. I can't breathe. I look at Prim, whose eyes reflect the same pain. Then I look at Peeta and there are tears streaming down his face.

I feel my body sway. Then it all goes black.

++++++

"I think she's coming to," I hear Prim say. My eyelids feel so heavy and I feel someone push the hair from my forehead.

I know it's Peeta. I can feel the roughness of his fingers on my face.

When I open my eyes, I see his blue eyes light up. "Thank goodness. You scared the shit out of me."

Prim, I realize, is snuggled against me and I smooth her hair. "I'm sorry I left you," I whisper and feel a tear slide down the side of my face.

"You've snuck out to study with Peeta a million times," she replies and I can't believe how calm she is. I know my sister, however; she will be weeping in her room later on. "There was no way of knowing that this would happen."

"I called my Dad," Peeta tells me. "He's gone down to the Medical Examiner to confirm her identity."

I nod and look at Prim who is practically falling asleep against me. "Little Duck, you need to go to bed."

"I don't want to," she tells me though her voice sounds weak. Prim is just as overwhelmed as I am.

I look at Peeta. "Take her to her room." Then I look at Prim. "I'll heat up some milk," I say as she opens her mouth to protest. "Don't argue with me, Primrose."

She relents and follows Peeta's lead. I get up slowly and walk to the kitchen. Getting a pot, I grab the milk carton from the fridge and then pour the milk into it. I put it on the stove and turn it on so that I can slowly let it heat.

Around me, I see remnants of Mom around the kitchen. On the counter is a mug and I can see her lipstick print on it. She must have been drinking coffee just before she left. How could she not have seen the car? I sit down at the small table next to the stove and see the reminders on the bulletin board next to the fridge.

Buy milk and eggs. Prim's dentist appointment.

Now it is my turn to do all of this.

I put my head on the linoleum table for a moment so I can feel the coolness of it. Footsteps approach me and I feel the scrape of the chair. Peeta sits next to me, but I refuse to look up.

"Prim is asleep. She won't need the milk," he says. I sit up and go to turn off the stove.

I turn to Peeta and he is looking at me with sympathy in his eyes. I bite my lip nervously. He opens his arms to me and I go to him, sitting on his lap. I let the tears fall again.

"Tell me what to do," he whispers in my ear. "Tell me what to do to make it better."

"Just don't leave me." Peeta is rocking me gently and I suddenly feel tired.

"Of course, you're my best friend," he tells me. "I will do anything for you. Anything to make this better for you."

He shouldn't have said that.

Peeta didn't realize that in a few months I would be asking him to do something that would completely change his life.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rate the Date. I don't know how I come up with this stuff.

The Inner Richmond is the neighborhood in-between Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge. Clement Street exists; I worked there for a few years in one of the medical offices as does Lowell High School.

"Bulletproof" is sung by La Roux.

Thank you for all your support! I know that these chapters aren't super long but I plan to have more chapters than my last story.

You will be seeing some more familiar characters in the next chapter.

For now, I will be working my way towards the prologue. The next chapter will take place two months after this one.

Next: Chapter Two from Peeta's POV.

Reviews mean love! PM's and Alerts are welcome also!

\- JLaLa


	3. Peeta

Author's Notes at the bottom!

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me; I just like to mess with them.

Excuse me, if you see me screaming  
Deep in my mind, I'm only dreaming  
Cause if I wake girl, and you're not by my side  
I'd feel like half of me, is no longer alive…

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz (Two Wrongs)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Two: Peeta

"Katniss, your man is here!" Cinna, Katniss’ boss, winks at me as he snips at a woman's hair. My face heats up at his announcement.

One of Katniss’ jobs is a receptionist and assistant at Cinna's salon. I have made it a habit to stop by when I am working at my family's auto shop, which happens to be two blocks away.

"He isn't MY man." Katniss walks out of the back holding a stack of towels. She gives me a tired smile as she stacks the towels in the cabinet above the sinks.

It has been two months since Katniss's mother was hit by a car and killed. The driver has not been found.

A lot has changed since then.

For one, Katniss has not been back to school since the accident. She needed to work and as much as I insisted on trying to help, she wouldn't have it.

I give her a smile and she puts her hand up indicating that she would meet me in five minutes. I nod and sit in the waiting area. The salon is small but long with one side being four styling stations. The reception desk is right at the front, followed by the hair products and then the sinks.

"Well if you don't want him, honey, then I'll take him," Portia, Cinna's cousin says and gives me a flirty smile as she wraps foil on a woman's bleached hair. I've known Cinna and Portia since Katniss has started working for them. They always tease us about our friendship.

The two of them look like twins. Both are tall, thin, and chocolate-skinned with dark hair. The difference is that Portia's hair is a large afro, while Cinna’s is shaved short with an intricate design on his scalp. Next to Portia is Octavia, another stylist, who sports bright burgundy hair and a nose piercing. Flavius, who takes care of the men’s haircuts, has bright orange tips as if he had dipped his dark hair in orange paint.

"You can have him," Katniss tells her from where she is changing the shampoo bottles at the sink. She meets my eyes. "I mean, everyone else has."

I scowl though my insides are jumping up and down. It has been so long since I've heard an insult come out of her mouth. Katniss has been so quiet lately. She has been overwhelmed, first with the funeral then figuring out her mother's assets. The house was still not paid off, plus Katniss has her own loans for college. A partial scholarship would not cover everything.

The image of Katniss' bedraggled form enters my mind. She looked so broken the day of her mom's funeral as she held Prim's hand and stood stoic in the cemetery. It looked so strange to see Prim in black, a stark contrast to her bright blonde hair. Katniss looked more natural in dark colors, though the big glasses she wore covered a majority of her face.

She didn't cry. She just stared at the closed coffin. Katniss refused to look at the body when they asked her. I understood that she didn't want to see her mother like that. She wanted to remember her as she had been before her untimely death.

"Hey, Peeta," Cinna interrupts my thoughts. "Think you could get her to eat something today? I brought Krispy Kremes," Katniss's favorite. "She didn't touch one. Take a longer lunch with her if needed. I won't count it."

I know Cinna. Even if she didn't tell him; he wouldn't have docked her pay. She is like a little sister to him.

I nod. "I'll try," I tell him. I'm worried, too. Katniss has lost a good amount weight as they can only afford the bare essentials now. I give her loaves from the bakery. She wouldn't take them until I lied and said that they were old. For Prim, I give her chocolate muffins for school and instruct her not to tell Katniss.

I've seen their fridge and what they are eating can barely sustain them both. She buys deli meats so that Prim can make sandwiches for her school lunches. There is some ground meat in the freezer and a pack of chicken breasts. The fridge has milk for Prim and water in a Brita pitcher. Other than that, it was empty.

She nearly ripped my head off when I suggested we go grocery shopping on me.

"See if you can and I'll give you free haircuts for life," he tells me and pats my shoulder.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Katniss says as she comes to the front, joining Cinna and I. "I need some air."

I stand up and we leave the salon waving goodbye. Portia and Octavia blow kisses at me and giggle. I see Katniss' mouth form into a small smile.

"Those two," she remarks and turns to me. "Where should we go?"

I take her hand and she entwines our fingers. I try to ignore the shiver that runs through me. It’s hormones; any guy would feel the same if they were being touched by someone as pretty as Katniss. We are on Valencia and cross the street getting onto 18th.

We are a few blocks from our destination. "Did Cinna do something with your hair?" I notice that it is in an intricate braid, a few tendrils escape and blow in the breeze.

"Yeah, he wanted to change it up," Katniss tells me. "Have to keep with the salon's trendy image, you know."

"It's pretty."

"Thanks." We settle into a comfortable silence and I put an arm around her. She leans into me and we could almost pass for a couple. "I'm sorry if I've been so silent lately. I have so much on my mind."

"Tell me," I say as we enter Bi-Rite Market. "I'm buying sandwiches." She opens her mouth. "Don't argue with me and pick a sandwich."

Katniss scowls and I give her a pointed look. "I'll have a roast beef and cheddar," she mumbles after a moment.

I nod and then turn to the server. "One roast beef and cheddar and one banh mi with tofu."

"Watching your figure?" Katniss smiles at me and I grin back.

"Of course," I reply while paying for the sandwiches and grab some Ferrero Rocher chocolates for her. "How else will I keep the ladies around?" I give her a grin and she laughs. It feels good to hear her laugh.

I grab the sandwiches and we continue on our way. Another block and we are in Dolores Park. We find an empty bench at the top of the park that overlooks the city. It's a beautiful day and the Mission always has the warmest temperatures in the city so we are comfortable.

"How are you holding up?" I ask as I take a bite of my sandwich.

"I think I have to sell my car." Katniss takes a bite of her sandwich. I know she is doing this for my benefit and because she doesn't like to see me glaring at her. "We have a bill for the house tax."

"Your car will cover the payment?"

"No," she says quietly. "Barely even half of it." Katniss owns a ‘95 Toyota Tercel. "I'm scared, Peeta. I think I'm going to lose the house. It's the only thing I have left of my parents." She looks out at the playground below where children are screaming in delight. Their nannies are all sitting on benches close by, reading from their Kindles or flipping through magazines. "Prim needs new books for school and my backpack is going to fall apart. It doesn't matter about the backpack though. I'm dropping out."

"You can't," I tell her.

"I have to, Peeta. I need to get another job," she replies. "Cinna can only afford to give me so many hours and I don't like my other job but it is better money."

Katniss' face turns red. Her other job is waitressing at a strip joint on Broadway. She knows one of the bouncers so he was able to help her out. I'm not exactly thrilled about the job. Katniss told her mom that she was a waitress in a hotel bar. Prim doesn't know about it either.

"I don't like it either," I say bluntly. "Some of the guys can get pretty rough when they're drunk."

I've been to a few clubs for bachelor parties. I cringe thinking of Katniss being handled like some of the girls I've seen. I remember Rye smacking the bottom of one of the waitresses. We were promptly kicked out and I had to keep Wheaton from beating him to a pulp. "I'll lend you the money for Prim's books. Let's take a look at your financials later this week, okay?"

She begrudgingly accepts my offer and smiles at me. "I forget that you're a business major."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I'm excited about it," I tell her bitterly.

"I understand," she tells me. "It's not what you want to do. But at least you have the opportunity to get your degree. You are going to do something great."

"How do you know?"

She turns to me and pulls one of her knees up while she straightens the other leg, placing it on my lap. "Because I know you. You've always made the best of every situation, even the shitty ones. I wish I could be like that. Especially now."

"You are going to be fine," I assure her. "You're stronger than you know and I will be by your side. Now finish your damn sandwich. You're wasting my money by letting it get cold."

She picks it up and is about to take a bite then places it back down. Katniss stops and looks at me curiously. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you're my girl," I tell her fondly. "In the most non-sexual way, of course."

"So right below significant other, but right above sister?"

"Exactly," I reply. "Now eat your sandwich."

++++++

The next day, I am working with Rye at Mellark Mechanics, our auto shop. I am figuring out our inventory using the Excel spreadsheet that I've created. Sitting next to me is Delly Cartwright, one of my oldest friends. We've known each other since we were in diapers. Then we grew from children to gangly teenagers and now we are still together as adults.

I turn to look at her in her pencil skirt and vest admiring her figure. She really grew out of her awkward stage. Delly catches my eyes. "Stop looking at my ass, Peeta."

"I'm not, though it does look really nice," I respond and she giggles.

"I'll be sure to tell Chloe what you think about my ass." Chloe is her girlfriend. They've survived longer than most of the straight couples I know. They are also more successful than a lot of couples that I know. Delly owns a share of the auto shop while Chloe is a contracts lawyer for Bank of America. She has an amazing office in the Transamerica Pyramid.

"Do you know if Chloe knows anything about property law?"

Delly turns to me curiously. "Is this about Katniss?" My face heats up and I know that she feels bad for embarrassing me. She takes a stack of invoices and starts organizing them. "I'll ask her, but I'm sure that she could give her some advice."

"Thanks." I give her a grateful smile.

She is silent for a moment. "You like her, don't you?"

I am typing the remaining stock for brake pads into the sheet. "Who?"

"Katniss."

My hand freezes over the mouse. "She's my best friend. I love her."

"It seems like something more than that," Delly replies and she leans back against the desk. "You two keep on tip-toeing around one another. You sleep with other people but deep down, I think you both just want to sleep with each other."

"I don't appreciate the insinuation." I feel the anger rising inside me. "We both have our own priorities and that kind of love or commitment is not one of them. I won't get married because I won't become my Dad and I won't give any woman an opportunity to become my mother. Katniss has Prim and she doesn't want to belong to anyone but herself."

"You two are fools," Delly tells me. "You've belonged to one another for longer than you think. Why the hell do you think you're so testy about her?"

"Because you're trying to force something that won't happen," I reply. "Let's talk about something else."

"Fine. Why is Katniss dressed so trampy?"

One of the mechanics wolf whistles and I turn to see Katniss walking in. She is wearing a tight, black v-neck shirt exposing her cleavage and a black stretchy skirt that barely covers her bottom. She has a pair of nude tights on and black patent leather pumps. Her hair is down and wavy. Katniss is wearing a little makeup, which makes her grey eyes glow.

"She just got off her last job." I go around the desk and approach her. She has dark circles under her eyes and I can tell her feet are killing her. "Hey."

"Hey, I just got off the BART train and I didn't think I could make to the Glen Park stop," she says tiredly. "Can you give me a ride home?" She must have been exhausted because Katniss will never ask anyone for a favor.

"Of course." I look her over. "You wore that all night and on the BART?"

"I know," she says as I lead her around the desk so she could sit down. "Very whore couture, but it's the uniform." Katniss looks over at Delly and gives her a smile. "Hey, Delly."

Delly checks her out appreciatively. "Please tell me that you get great tips with an outfit that hot."

Katniss has her head on the table next to her chair. She pulls out a huge stack of bills from inside her shirt. I take the stack and whistle before handing her tips back.

"I only had to be grabbed three different times." I look at her sad, tired form.

"Want to dance it off?" I offer and she shakes her head.

"My feet are killing me." Katniss looks at her watch. "Prim will be going to school in half an hour. I don't like her to see that I have an outfit like this."

"Then rest." I get my jacket and she puts her head on the table as I drape it over her body. "I will wake you up when it is time to go."

"Thank you," Katniss says before closing her eyes.

Delly looks at me like I have just proven her point.

++++++

I let Katniss sleep in the car. When I get to her house, I park in front and carry her out of my car. She wraps her arms around my neck and snuggles into my chest.

"Where are your keys?" I ask her. She points to a potted plant and I look under it finding a spare key. Opening the door, I enter, close the door and bring her up to her room. Katniss' room used to be neat, but now there are papers strewn around her desk. Unwashed clothes are thrown about and her bed is unmade.

I place her in her bed and pull the covers over her thin body. Going to the desk, I look at the envelopes marked 'past due' or 'delinquent'. Her mother's checkbook is lying next to the envelopes along with bank statements. I look over them. When I add it up, I see that what her mother made annually was the same amount my family made monthly. I didn't even want to think about the amount that Katniss made.

"Why are you snooping?" Katniss is up and she is staring at me from her bed. I go over and sit next to her.

"I'm worried about you," I tell her as I look down at her tired form. "You are running yourself ragged."

"It doesn't matter as long as Prim continues to do well in school," Katniss tells me. "Did you know she told me she wants to become a doctor?" She laughs softly. "All I could think about was how much medical school will cost. If she gets a scholarship, then she can make her dreams come true and she can stay at the school she is at. I don't want to burden her with all of this."

"You are the greatest woman I know, Katniss." I kiss her forehead. "And I know a lot of women."

She scoffs. "So modest." Katniss laughs. "Prim wants you to come for dinner tonight."

"Okay." I stand up. "I should get going and let you sleep. Six?"

She nods already half asleep.

"Where should I put your key?"

"Keep it," she mumbles. "You're my in case of emergency."

I smile before closing the door.

++++++

I park my car in front of the bakery one hour before I’m supposed to have dinner with Prim and Katniss. I know how much Prim loves our strawberry cake, so I decided to make one for her.

When Prim was born, I remember going with my father to bring one to their house when we still lived above the bakery. I met Katniss for the first time that day and I remember telling myself that I would always take care of her. I didn't know why. I just knew that I wanted to.

Walking into the bakery, I see that my Dad is at the counter. I love that even though his businesses are successful; he still works in the bakery, unlike my mother who has given up working. She spends most of her time getting facials or buying enough shoes to rival Imelda Marcos.

He smiles at me. "Hey, kid." My dad still thinks that he can carry me on his shoulders sometimes. "What's going on?"

"Having dinner with Katniss and Prim," I tell him. "I thought that I'd bake the strawberry cake they love so much."

"Everything is in the back. I'm just getting ready to close up," he informs me. "How are your ladies?" Dad always refers to them as my girls because I used to stay at their home more than our own. My brothers used to torture me, so I preferred the company of Katniss, who never teased me, and Prim, who looked up to me like a brother.

"They're doing okay, but Katniss is thinking of dropping out of school." My father's face falls. "I'm trying to convince her otherwise, but the bills are piling up."

"Have you offered to…" I know what he's going to say. He knows that we have the money to help them out. Katniss is too proud sometimes to accept help.

"Yeah, but you know Katniss."

I walk to the back and go to gather my supplies. My Dad locks up and joins me. He preheats the oven for me and even begins to cut up strawberries. I like spending time with my Dad. He doesn't judge or nag. He just wants to know what is going in my life. We are the only two who are still devoted to the bakery. Wheaton is all about the numbers, while Rye is more into working at the auto shop. Since Delly has a share of the auto shop, my Dad rarely goes there as it is more of her and Rye's pet project.

"Katniss gets her personality from her Dad, but the stubbornness is her mother," he tells me. "Suzie never wanted help even after Katniss' father died. Even in high school, she was stubborn. Argued with teachers over her grades." He smiled in remembrance.   
The weird thing is that Katniss' mom and my Dad were high school sweethearts. He almost married her. During their first year in college at UC Berkeley, they went to a concert together and Katniss' dad was one of the performers. My dad knew he had lost her the moment Katniss' dad started to sing. He swore that when he sang, the birds in the campus trees went silent, as did the entire crowd.

"Sounds exactly like Katniss," I told him.

I am whipping up the batter and moments later, I pour it into two round pans and put them in the oven. Getting the whipping cream out, I take the bowl of strawberries that he cut and pour them in the cream. I mix it and then put it in the fridge.

"She's a good girl, though," he tells me. "Just like her Mom. Broke my heart to lose Suzie again." I look over and realize how tired he looks.

"I will find a way to help them." We sit in silence after that. Both of us are lost in our own little worlds.

When the cakes are finished, I put them on the cooling rack and work on the icing for the cake. My dad is cleaning up the front of the bakery and putting everything away. He returns to the back with two loaves for the girls.

By then, I have placed one of the cake rounds on the base and am placing the strawberry mixture on top of it. Then I layer the other cake on top. I am icing the cake when he finishes and gets a cake box out for me.

He surveys my work proudly. "Looks good."

"Thanks." I look up at the clock. "I should probably head over."

"Don't forget the bread loaves," he says.

"Sure." I give him a grateful smile. "If she asks, tell her that it’s leftover bread, not fresh ones."

He agrees and I place the finished cake into the carryout box.

"Thanks for your help, Dad." He claps my shoulder.

"Go on," he says. "Don't want you to be late for dinner with your girls."

I nod and head out of the bakery with the cake in one hand and the bread in the other. As I walk up the stairs of the house, I get my key to their house out. When I'm in front the door, I unlock it easily. I place the cake on the table next to the door along with the bread.

"Honey, I'm home!" I call out jokingly.

Katniss emerges from the kitchen and she looks nervous.

Running over, she throws her arms around my neck and smiles at me.

Before I can even ask what is going on, Katniss presses her lips against mine in a mind blowing kiss.

I am kissing my best friend.

And I like it.

Shit.

________________________________________

Please don't kill me! What a way to end a chapter, I know.

Also, unless I have super-duper writing speed, I won't have the next chapter until later this week. I'm going to Napa for a day with my husband so we can get out of the city so I might do some writing but not much.

Cinna's salon is based on the salon that I go to. Bi-Rite Market does exist. They have a website if you are curious.

Delly seems to get the different love matches in my stories. I don't know why. You'll meet Chloe later.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is one of the public transportations systems in the Bay Area. It is the fastest way to get downtown or even into the city from across the Bay.

Next chapter is my favorite and some more characters will be introduced. Any guesses on who will make their appearance?

It will also be a bit fluffy.

Reviews mean love! Alert and PM's are welcome too!

Next: Chapter Three from Katniss's POV

-JLaLa


	4. Katniss

Author's Notes at the bottom.

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me; I just like to mess with the characters.

If only, I'd give you one last chance  
With the devil you can no longer dance  
You've got to be faithful  
so we can be fruitful, build a family and follow God's destiny…

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz (Two Wrongs)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Three: Katniss

Peeta tightens his hold around my waist as we kiss. I thought that this would be awkward but it is the opposite.

In fact, it is actually quite pleasurable.

Wait. Am I turned on by this?

I press my body closer to his.

Yes. Yes I am.

So is he apparently.

The sound of footsteps interrupts us and I pull away though our hands are still entwined. I turn to see the woman who is trying to ruin my life. Prim looks surprisingly calm for someone who has just caught her older sister making out with her best friend.

I smooth my hair and I can hear Peeta let out a shaky breath. I just blew his mind.

Now I am going to cause it to explode.

"Miss Trinket, this is Peeta Mellark." I give them both what I hope is my most winning smile. "My fiancé."

++++++

_Thirty Minutes Earlier_

"Prim, clean your room," I tell my little sister as I pass her bedroom. She looks up from her desk and gives me a smile before going back to her calculations. I hear her cursing about geometry as I continue to my room.

The house is a mess. I have just gotten out of the shower after removing my club makeup. I throw on a pair of leggings and a large sweater which is Peeta's. I'm not sure how it got here but it smells of sugar like him.

As I braid my hair, the doorbell rings. Peeta must be early.

"In a minute!" I call out and attempt to fix my bed. Just in case we go over my Mom's financial statements. I was embarrassed when I woke up and realized that he had seen how badly my room looked.

Rushing down the stairs, I go to the door and open it quickly. "You're early!"

"Pardon me?" The smile on my face falls and I realize that it is not Peeta.

It is a middle aged woman with pale skin and gaudy makeup. Her hair is pink yet she wears a suit. I am not surprised. Professionals of all trades are often casual when it comes to work attire in the Bay Area.

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "I was expecting someone else. Can I help you?"

She looks me up and down. I am suddenly self-conscious of my appearance. The woman hands me her card.

"My name is Effie Trinket and I am with Child Protection Services." A chill runs through me. "I have come to follow up on your case."

"My case?"

"I have a report from the San Francisco Police Department stating that on the night of your mother's death, your sister, Primrose was found alone in your house."

"Yes, but I was only gone for an hour—" She pushes pass me and looks around. There are magazines all over the coffee table. The place could use a good dusting and vacuuming.

"Nevertheless, I interviewed a few neighbors and they have reported that you have not come home until the early morning on several occasions. Your attire was also reported as unacceptable," Miss Trinket says with disdain. "Is your sister home? I will need to speak to her."

"Sure," I reply and call out for Prim. I turn back to Miss Trinket. "I usually don't work so late."

"Please do not lie to me, Miss Everdeen." She looks sternly at me.

Prim's footsteps interrupt her tirade on me. She looks at Prim's neat appearance approvingly.

"Hello Primrose, my name is Effie Trinket. I'd like to speak with you for a few minutes. Alone if possible." Prim nods and leads her to the kitchen. She shoots me a panicked look.

For a moment, I stand frozen and my mind is in overdrive. While they are in the kitchen, I clean up the living room going over the possibilities.

What if they take Prim away? I can't let that happen. She is all I have left.

I try not to get upset but I can feel my eyes start to water. I sit on the couch and look around. A photo of my mom catches my eyes and I am angry at her for a moment. How could she leave us?

I put my head in my hands willing myself to be strong, to be brave and to fight. I won't let them take her.

"Katniss?" Prim is standing at the doorway and she looks pale. "Miss Trinket wants to talk to us."

I get up and go to her. Prim looks afraid and I know that this can't be good. We hold hands as we walk in. Miss Trinket is waiting with her hands folded on the table. She looks as if she has been writing notes.

Prim and I sit opposite of her. "Can I offer you anything to drink?" I ask her. "We have tea, coffee, water?"

"No, thank you," she tells me stiffly. "I'm going to get right to the point. Just looking around, I can see that this is not a fit environment for Primrose. I understand you are under a lot of stress due to your mother's death but you need to think about what is the most stable environment for Primrose. She might flourish in a home where she has a mother and father figure."

I hear her voice in echoes. "…a mother and father figure…"

"You don't understand," I choke out. "Prim has that here! I've been taking care of Prim since before my mother's death when she was sick. I-I'm getting married so Prim will have a father figure!"

It comes out in a rush and I know that I must look like a loon with my gigantic sweater, ragged leggings and wide eyes. I can feel how hot my face is yet my hands are shaking like I'm freezing. "He's moving in with us. That's why the house is such a mess. I was trying to get rid of all the unnecessary things." I can feel Prim's hand on my shaking leg.

"Why didn't your sister tell me about this?" The woman asks suspiciously.

"Because…because she didn't know." I look at Prim and she looks confused. I can't tell her that this is all false. She couldn't lie if her life depended on it. And it does.

I take her hand. "Katniss, I don't understand." Her eyes are watering. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It happened the night that Mom left us," I say to her. "Everything was happening all at once and it didn't feel right to announce the engagement until everything had settled down. Please don't be mad." I pull her into a hug. "I love you so much."

When we pull apart, she looks up at me and I can hear the pieces clicking together in her mind. "That night. You were with Peeta…"

"Honey, I'm home!" His timing is impeccable.

I go to greet him and give him a shaky smile.

I don't even think when I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him.

Damn, he's a good kisser.

++++++

Peeta is looking at me like I've grown another head.

"Peeta, this is Effie Trinket," I tell him and his mouth is still hanging open from my announcement. "From Child Protection Services."

I plead with him in my mind. 'Please Peeta, please play along. I need your help, I need you.'

Something flashes in his eyes and he puts a hand around my waist pulling me close. He gives Miss Trinket a handsome smile.

"Peeta Mellark, pleased to meet you," he says to her. "What is going on?"

"Mellark?" she replies. "As in the bakery? The one across the street? I love your cakes." The woman seems genuinely impressed.

"I'll be sure to tell my father that,"Peeta says. "Would you like a piece of cake? I made Prim's favorite."

Prim looks at him adoringly. She always has.

"I'd love a piece! Please call me Effie," the woman says and I scowl.

Sometimes Peeta is too amiable for his own good. I have seen him charm the pants off women, figuratively and literally.

"After you," he tells her. When she goes into the kitchen with Prim, he glares at me.

"Peeta…"

His eyes soften when he sees my desperation. "We are going to talk about this later," he says to me. "I need a drink."

"After this, we'll talk. I promise," I wrap my arms around his torso pulling him close. I put my head on his chest and I can hear his heart quickly beating. "Thank you Peeta."

"I must really love you Everdeen," he tells me with a grin.

"No, I'm just that great of a kisser."

++++++

"When I said a drink, I meant an alcoholic one," Peeta tells me as he takes in the garish orange of the Quickly. The MUNI lightrail train passing makes the café that we sit in vibrate. I hand him his milk tea and sit down next to him.

I take a straw and plunge it through the plastic barrier for him. His eyes widen at such a rough act.

"Just drink it please. Also, I couldn't leave Prim. Miss Trinket is watching me, not to mention my nosy neighbors." Miss Trinket or Effie to Peeta is putting me on probation with the condition that I get weekly visits from both her and the social worker she works with, a Mr. Haymitch Abernathy.

Prim is sitting with her friend Rue, who we invited along, at another table flipping through an old Seventeen magazine.

"You told her that we were getting married," he says after a moment. Peeta takes a drink. "You know how I feel about that. They are going to want to see proof Katniss!" He is fuming and I know he wants to yell but for Prim and Rue's sake he isn't. "Katniss, you're my best friend and I love you but seriously-marry you?"

I look at my hands for a moment before looking back up at him. My own head is spinning and so I take a deep breath. "I never wanted this either. I panicked." I look up at his blue eyes. "But if I had to pick someone to marry then it would be you."

He looks into my eyes for what seems like an eternity. Peeta leans towards me and my mouth goes dry. I lick my lips in anticipation and the feeling of that first kiss comes rushing through me. For a moment, all I want is for him to kiss me in this bright orange café with the Korean music videos playing in the background.

The moment is broken when we hear Prim and Rue giggling as they look at us. When I turn to Peeta, something in his eyes has changed and he stands up. "I have to go."

"I drove you here," I tell him quietly.

He puts his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "Katniss, I just need some time to think. You've put us in a weird spot and I'm not sure how we can get pass this. I can get home on my own."

Peeta kisses my cheek quickly for Prim's sake. He walks out of the café taking my hopes with him.

++++++

"Cinna's," I greet the caller on the phone. Looking at the computer screen, I pull up the requested date. "Portia is available at noon that Saturday. Yes, your name please." I type in the word 'Crane'. "Okay, , we have you all set up for noon, next Saturday. We'll see you then."

I look up and call out to Portia who is sweeping up the hair from her last client. "Mr. Grabby Hands is coming for a haircut next Saturday."

She groans. "He may be in the City Council but he has the worse people skills and boundary issues." Mr. Crane is famous in our salon for grabbing at least one of the female workers here. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen but since he only comes every six months we have let it go—for now.

"Katniss, I think there is someone here to see you," Cinna says from the washing station.

I look up from the desk and see Peeta outside. He looks tired. We haven't spoken in a week.

I've pretty much holed myself up in my house. The day after he left me sitting in the Quickly, I cleaned the house from top to bottom. Prim told me that Miss Trinket looked in our fridge before they talked and she was not happy.

I stocked it so it looked a little less empty but I had no appetite in-between both my jobs and being ignored by my best friend. Prim thinks that we're not talking because I am upset over Miss Trinket's visit. I don't have the heart to tell her that I've driven the guy who she considers a brother away with a fake engagement.

"Can I take a quick break?" I ask Cinna and he winks at me. He's noticed that Peeta hasn't come around for a few days.

"Go on girl, get your Peeta fix," he replies and I give him a small smile.

Walking out, I approach Peeta. "Hi."

"Hi, can we take a walk?" he asks and I shake my head in agreement. We walk down a block onto Mission Street. While we walk, I take a closer look at him. His hair is unkempt and I can tell that he had been running his hands through it constantly, a nervous habit of his that he's had for years.

"You look like crap," I tell him.

"So do you," he replies in turn.

"Not sleeping will do that to you." We continue on.

"Katniss, how long did you think that you would be able to stay in a pretend marriage?" he asks suddenly.

I stop walking and look at him for a moment. He seems really curious about it. "Three or Four years. Prim will be eighteen by then and I wouldn't have to worry." I am practically delivering Prim to Child Protective Services with that statement. "I'm going to tell Miss Trinket that I've lied. Maybe she'll be nice and give Prim to a family in the city. One who will consider letting me see her." I try to choke back my tears.

Peeta sees my anguish and he comes towards me. "Katniss, please don't cry."

"I'm sorry that I Iied and pulled you into it. Prim is all I have and I don't want to lose her. Maybe it's for the best. Please don't be mad at me." I don't care that we are on a busy street and people are staring. "I'm going to lose Prim; I can't lose my best friend too." I look at my watch. "I have to go now."

Pain grips my heart. I love my sister and she is going to be taken away from me. I walk away from him without another word. Hot tears hit my cool face. I failed her. 'I'm sorry Prim…'

Entering the salon, I go to the back and in the bathroom where I wash my face. In the mirror, I see my blotchy appearance and take a deep breath.

There's a knock on the door. "Katniss sweetie, open the door." It's Cinna. I open the door and walk out quietly. Portia is there with him. They look at me worriedly. "You okay, love?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. We just had a disagreement but it will all work out in the end."

"You are not okay," Portia says to me. "You need to go out with us tonight."

I shake my head. "I'm not in the best mood."

"That's exactly why you need to go out tonight," she tells me. "I won't take no for an answer. Call Madge too." Madge is the full-time receptionist here and one of my best friends.

Prim was going to sleep over at Rue's. My plan for tonight had included a bottle of Grey Goose that was given to me for my eighteenth birthday and some sad British period drama on DVD.

"Fine," I tell her. "But I have nothing to wear. And I look like a train wreck."

"Girl, you leave that to me," Portia says. "I will take care of you. You're going to have men all over you tonight."

I don't want men all over me tonight. I just want my sister to be able to stay with me. I want my best friend back.

All I can do is give her a weak smile.

++++++

"I love this place!" Madge is screaming into my ear because the music is so loud. Cinna and Portia are out on the dance floor making the rest of the dancers look bad. Octavia and Flavius sit next to us sipping on margaritas. Tonight we have a VIP table, courtesy of Cinna who knows one of the club promoters. There are definitely advantages to working for such a popular salon.

We are in North Beach, the Italian oriented portion of the city. The club we are in is usually a comedy club but tonight they have removed all the tables so there is ample room for dancing.

I look over at Madge who is moving her head to the music, her blond curls bounce with her. She has taken two shots of Patron which is enough for her to be moderately tipsy. Her pretty face is lit up and it brightens when a good looking dark haired man approaches her and asks her to dance.

"Why aren't you out there?" Octavia asks me. "You look hot!"

Tonight Portia has exaggerated the waves in my hair and Cinna has poured me into tight red dress. It has a sweetheart neckline which has pushed up my breasts to unrealistic heights.

If my rack actually looked like this then I wouldn't have any problems getting someone to marry me.

"These heels are too high for me to dance in; I'll look like a clown!"

Also, my sister is going to be taken away from me and my best friend hates me. I take a gulp of my own margarita to stop the threat of tears.

Cinna and Portia return to the table, panting heavily but grinning.

"There are so many hot guys out there!" Portia is telling everyone about the guy who offered her a free tattoo at his shop. I look to Madge is still dancing with the same guy. She waves at me and I give her a small smile.

"Not having a good time?" Cinna says into my ear.

"I'm fine. Just distracted." He puts an arm around me and I am trying to not cry into my drink. I hate feeling like this. I hate feeling like I have no control over my life because I don't right now.

"Thinking about Peeta?"

I look up at him suddenly feeling like I can breathe. "I'm thinking about a lot of things. He's just one of them."

"Excuse ma'am." I look up to see one of the waitresses placing a glass of white wine on the table. "Courtesy of the gentleman at the bar along with this." She places a folded paper next to the drink. I pick up the paper and open it.

'Dance it off?' it says.

I look over at the bar and see Peeta. I can feel my lips form into a smile. I turn to see everyone grinning at me.

"Well 'Girl on Fire', you better work that dress," Cinna says to me.

"Girl on Fire?"

"I told you, you are hot Katniss," Octavia said.

"I didn't put you in that dress for nothing so get over there," Cinna tells me.

I get up uncertainly and walk through the throng of dancers feeling self-conscious. It's warm in the club with all the bodies packed in. I feel like it is taking forever for me to get to him.

Peeta looks me up and down. "Nice dress," he says after a moment. He is in a pair of jeans and a two-tone baseball tee. It's as if he just randomly walked into the club.

"It's comfortable because there is very little of it," I tell him and he laughs softly.

He holds out his hand. "Dance it off?"

I take his hand in agreement and he points up to the DJ on the balcony. I can see the man's tanned skin and bright white teeth from where we stand. He nods back at Peeta. The music switches to a slow beat with a lot of a bass and he leads me to the dance floor. When he pulls me close, I instinctually put my arms around his neck like I've done many times in the past.

_Hey lady, let me tell you why,  
I can't live my life without you.  
Every time I see you walking by,  
I cannot breathe but you don't notice me,  
but in time you will.  
I must make you understand..._

I pull away and smile. "Roger and Zapp?" I feel so much better because we are back to our old ways.

"Don't tell me that you've never stayed up to listen to these songs," he says and I shake my head. "How do you know who they are then?"

"My Dad use to play this song," I tell him.

"Of course," he says suddenly nervous.

_My mind is blind, at times I can't see anyone but you,  
those other girls don't matter, no, they can't spoil my view…_

Peeta suddenly pulls away from me. "Three to four years, huh? We better just make it an even four."

"What are you talking about?"

He is suddenly on one knee and I'm aware that everyone's eyes are on us. Somewhere in the back of me, I can hear Octavia's excited scream.

"Will you marry me?"

My mouth drops open and I am frozen. Peeta, my best friend, is proposing to me.

I realize that he wants to help me and I am suddenly filled with an unexplained feeling. It causes me to kneel next to him on this sticky dance floor in front of this crowd of dancers.

I pull him to me and wrap my arms around his neck. Our bodies are melded together.

"Thank you," I whisper into his ear.

He stands me up and meets my watery eyes. "You should probably give me an answer," he says with a grin.

"Yes." I manage to choke out thickly.

"Well I'm glad I got this out of the family vault," he tells me and slips a pearl ring on my finger. "It was my grandmother's."

"It's too much," I say to him.

He shakes his head and looks into my eyes. "We both didn't expect this but if I had to marry anyone then it would be you." He kissed the hand with the ring on it. "My best friend."

His smile is full of warmth and I wonder how I never notice how brilliant his eyes were. Even in the dimness of the club, they were a bright blue and he was looking at me the same way he always did. I recognize it as love. But what kind? I wasn't sure myself but it was the kind that made the heat rise in my belly.

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it," he says into my ear though I can see that his brother Rye is watching us. Shock is written all over his face.

My lips find his and I run my fingers through his hair. When we pull back, our foreheads touch.

I look over to see my friends coming towards us. Peeta spots them too. It's time to play our parts.

"And here we go," he says quietly before pressing his lips to the skin behind my ear.

Am I turned on by this?

Yes. Yes I am.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notice a familiar line?

So maybe I am a super duper fast writer. Also some of you want to kill me. So I am giving you this chapter early before I head off to Napa today.

Review and tell me you love. Alerts and PM's are welcome.

A few things:

Besides BART, the MUNI (San Francisco Municipal Railway) is the other transportation system which is charge of the buses, trolleys and light rails.

Quickly is a tapioca milk tea café and I am obsessed with milk teas. There is one near my house so I am there all the time. It's probably not healthy.

"I Wanna Be Your Man' is sung by Roger and Zapp.

North Beach is the 'Little Italy' of San Francisco. It is close to the Coit Tower, St. Peter and Paul's and the Transamerica Pyramid. My suggestion if you go there? Go watch Beach Blanket Babylon.

The club that they go to is based on a club that I went to in North Beach but I think it closed now.

I know Effie is OOC but you'll see a little bit more of her normal personality later on especially when she's around Haymitch.

I always find it harder to write from Katniss's POV than Peeta's.

Next: A little bit of this chapter from Peeta's POV. Haymitch makes his appearance. Terms and conditions are discussed.

-JLaLa


	5. Peeta

Author's Notes at the bottom.

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me; I just like to mess with then.

But I have grown  
from a thug to a man  
Build my castle with bricks  
and no longer with sand…

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz (Two Wrongs)

A special thanks to zenleigh for helping a girl out!

A little bit of fluff ahead and some other weird things…

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Four: Peeta

Holy Crap. Did she just say fiancé?

Damn it. She did.

I look at Katniss again and she is begging me with those pretty grey eyes.

"Peeta, this is Effie Trinket," she introduces me to the pink-haired woman. She is what passes for a professional apparently. "From Child Protection Services."

They are investigating and I feel the sudden need to protect Katniss. I put my hand around her waist and pull her close. I can feel her relax against me.

I shake the woman's hand. "Peeta Mellark, pleased to meet you." I smile winningly at her. This usually helps in tough situations. I silently thank my parents for insisting on good oral hygiene.

"Mellark?" The woman is giving me the onceover. "As in the bakery? The one across the street? I love your cakes."

"I'll be sure to tell my father that," I tell her. This woman is a glutton and you just have assist with the temptation. "Would you like a piece of cake? I made Prim's favorite."

She lights up and I know I've got her. "I'd love a piece! Please call me Effie."

That was too easy. I can tell that Katniss is scowling next to me.

"After you." Effie skips off with Prim in tow. My soon to be little sister flashes me a happy grin.

At least somebody is happy.

Katniss turns to me and I can see the gratitude in her eyes. "Peeta…"

I, on the hand, am fuming. "We are going to talk about this later," I tell her. "I need a drink." I need alcohol to stop myself from thinking about that kiss. Images of more of them with Katniss plague my mind.

I've never wanted anything so much in my life.

"After this, we'll talk. I promise." Katniss throws her arms around my waist and my breath is caught in my throat. She smells like flowers. "Thank you Peeta."

Why am I such a sucker for her?

"I must really love you Everdeen," I find myself saying.

"No, I'm just that great of a kisser," she replies.

Truer words have never been spoken.

++++++

"Ohmigod," Delly says to me. "You have some sort of stick up your ass."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I tell her as we sit in the restaurant. I am working on my do-it-yourself lemonade as I ignore her.

I haven't spoken to Katniss since I left her sitting in a Quickly. My mind drifts off to the look on her face as she told me that if she had to choose, she would choose me.

Was this anyway to start a marriage? Even a fake one?

This wasn't the scary part. The whole fake marriage aspect.

I wanted her. I wanted Katniss. Her lips against mine had set something off in me.

It freaked me out.

So I left.

"You haven't talked to her yet, have you?" Delly is looking at me and she is obviously exasperated with my sullen attitude. I shake my head and take a sip of lemonade. "I am very understanding when it comes to matters of the heart. However when you come into my shop and almost throw a computer then I have to put it down." She pauses for a second and then looks at me. "You're being a dick, Peeta."

"Excuse me?" The patrons of the restaurant look up when they hear her outburst.

"You're being a dick," she repeats. "She made a mistake because she was desperate."

"Who made a mistake?"

I look up to see Chloe in all her Amazonian glory. Her long dark hair is down and straight while her black suit accentuates her curves. Her red lips curve into a smile and she leans down to kiss Delly.

"Hey baby," Delly says after Chloe pulls away. Some of Chloe's lipstick has transferred onto her lips.

"What are we talking about?" Chloe sits in the chair next to Delly and picks up a menu.

"Katniss." Delly glares at me and then turns to her girlfriend. "They haven't talk to one another in a week. I'm just telling Peeta that he needs to not be so hard on her. She was scared."

"Dude, aren't you in love with her or something?" Chloe takes my glass of lemonade and gulps it down. I glare at her. "Sorry, I'm really thirsty. The trolley ride from Montgomery Street to the Castro is exhausting."

"I am not in love with her," I respond but my cheeks are warm. "I love her though."

"It wasn't the smartest thing," Chloe remarks. "She did set them off her scent, for now. You have every right to be angry with her but like Delly said Katniss was scared. You could've exposed her if you wanted to but the fact that you didn't tells me that you are considering it."

"I am?" I look at her skeptically.

"Look at us," she says. "I am in a committed loving relationship with a woman and I am not allowed to marry her. We make it work until the time we can be fully acknowledged as a married couple. However no one is going to tell me that she isn't my wife." She takes Delly's hand and kisses the top of it. "Marriage is just a word. It's what you make of it that counts."

"So you're telling me to go along with this?"

"I'm telling you to consider it." Chloe is looking at me seriously, her dark eyes boring into me. "She chose you. Out of everyone in the whole wide world. And I know that you don't want to get married but if you had to choose, wouldn't you choose her also?"

I am silent because deep down I know that she is speaking the truth.

Delly clears her throat. "I'm starving," she suddenly says and looks at the menu. Chloe and she go over their choices for lunch.

I sit in the restaurant more confused than ever.

++++++

"I can't lose my best friend too." This was the moment I realized that I wanted to marry her.

I close my eyes and I see her with tears in her grey eyes. I think of the first time I saw her eyes, the day that I promised myself that I would always take care of her.

I realized that it hasn't changed or stopped. The need to care for her.

I chose Katniss the day I met her.

I knew what I wanted to do.

First, I needed to go to our family vault.

++++++

"It's so pretty," Prim says as she gazes down at Katniss's ring. Then she comes to me and throws her arms around my neck. "Peeta, you're going to be my big brother."

"Wasn't I always?" I joke.

"Well yes but now its official," she replies and presents Katniss's hand. "And we have jewelry to prove it."

Katniss laughs and I put an arm around her. She looks beautiful in her blue dress and black cardigan.

Prim is sitting across from us and is beaming while trying not to stare at everything around her. We are sitting in Laurel Court inside the Fairmont Hotel waiting for my parents as well as my brothers for lunch.

Today we are announcing our engagement.

I can tell that Katniss is nervous because she is tapping her left foot. I place my hand gently on her thigh to get her to stop and our eyes meet.

There it is again. That fire.

"It will be okay," I assure her.

"Your Mom hates me," she says with a groan.

"That's not true," I tell her. "She hates everyone."

We laugh quietly unaware that we are in our own little world until Prim clears her throat.

"You guys are so cute," she says with a sigh.

"Oh yeah. So cute." I turn to see Rye who is grinning at us. He goes to Prim and ruffles her hair. Then he pulls Katniss up from her chair and pulls her into a big hug before lifting her off the ground. "Hello soon to be sister."

"Hello Rye," she says after he puts her down.

I look behind him and see Wheaton is outside the restaurant on the phone. My parents are walking in and my Mother looks less than pleased to be here. My Dad, however, waves at us as they approach and Prim rushes over to greet them. She adores my Dad. On Sundays, they bake together to prepare for the rest of the week.

When they get to the table, my Mother sits on the side furthest away from Katniss and I. My Dad goes to Katniss and greets her with a hug and a kind smile.

"Hello, my dear," he says and she beams up at him. "You look very pretty."

"Thanks, Mr. Mellark," she replies and my Dad quickly looks down at her ring finger. He looks up at me in surprise.

Wheaton rushes over. "Sorry about that," he says apologetically. "I found a new company who can get us a great deal in organic flour. Also, we have the guy coming for the GHG Emission Assessment coming in next week."

"Are you looking into reducing your carbon footprint at the Bakery?" Katniss asks him.

"Yes, it looks likes the most viable place to do it," he said to her. "Obviously, we can't at the auto shop." He looks over at Rye who is trying to stick a spoon on his nose to entertain Prim.

"I'd love to get the assessor's notes when he's done," she says and he promises to get her copies. Wheaton is obviously impressed with her tenacity and I look at her proudly.

"Where's Carrie?" I ask and his eyes darken. Carrie is Wheaton's wife.

"She had a headache," he grumbles. Rye and I share a look. That's code for they've argued and he's going to buy her something from Tiffany's after this. "So what brings us to this beautiful location today?"

I stand up nervously. "I just wanted to let you all know that I've proposed to Katniss," I tell them and look down at her. She gives me a smile. "And she's accepted."

My Dad is the first to get up and he is beaming proudly. He goes to Katniss and pulls her into his arms. "I always knew that it would be you," he tells her. "Since my son first saw you, I could tell that he was a goner."

"I was always a goner for him," she replies and I'm surprised by her sincerity.

My Dad comes to me and pulls me in for a hug. "I'm glad you got your girl," he says into my ear gruffly. "It makes it all clear why Suzie and I were never meant to be. She's going to be a great addition to the family."

"Thanks Dad."

Rye is congratulating Katniss though he's already known that we were engaged. He was there and Rye was definitely surprised. I think he screamed louder than Octavia. He high fives Prim because now he officially has a partner in crime. Though he is older than me, Rye sometimes acts like he's a teenager.

Wheaton claps my shoulder. "She's a good girl," he tells me. "Treat her well but we should talk about a prenup at some point."

"A prenup?" I say to him. Katniss goes over at me to see what is going on.

"Of course, there will be a Prenuptial Agreement," my mother states angrily. "We have to make sure that if this farce of a marriage doesn't work out that she doesn't take us for all we've got."

"Mother," I warn her and I feel the anger rising in me.

"What did you do Peeta?" she asks from where she is sitting. "Did you knock her up? I want a paternity test if this is the case. We're not providing for some baby if it's not yours. You're not the only one she's opened her legs for I'm sure."

"That's enough, Rhiannon," my Dad warns and Katniss puts a hand on my shoulder.

I sit down. "She's not pregnant," I reply. My hate for her is filling my body. Katniss takes my hand to unclench the tight fist that my hand is in. She joins our hands and squeezes mine. "I love her, she loves me, that's all there is to it."

"Until the money runs out," my mother mutters.

I slam my hand on the table. The silverware clatters and the room goes silent.

"You're not going to insult Katniss in front of me ever again," I say and stand up. "Let's go." Katniss and Prim get up quickly from their seats.

"Wait," Katniss says softly. She looks at my mother. "I will sign what you want. I just want to be with Peeta." She stands tall. "I don't understand why you can't see what I see." Katniss meets my eyes. "Because I still can't believe he chose me."

She looks at my brothers and my Dad. "I hope to see you at the wedding."

We walk out of the restaurant and then straight out to the front of hotel. Handing the valet my ticket, we stand outside. "You don't have to sign anything," I tell her.

She looks over at Prim who is staring at the Grace Cathedral across the street then at me. "This isn't about money." She looks at me. "I meant every word I said."

Without another thought, I lift her chin with my finger and press her lips to mine.

I'm unaware of how long we are together until the valet taps my shoulder. Prim is trying not to stare but her cheeks are red. Katniss coughs and looks down while I open the door so they can get into the car. We all settle in; Prim sitting in the back and Katniss sitting next to me in the front.

As I drive, Katniss leans in so that her lips are next to my ear. Her warm breath against my skin is causing my body to react.

I try to think of things to distract me. Recipes…the words to the Journey song I was listening to this morning…my mother. That did it.

"You're really hot when you're angry," she says into my ear. She pulls away grinning to herself.

Dear God. There is nothing sexier than a flirty Katniss.

The whole ride home I distract myself by singing 'Don't Stop Believing' in my head.

++++++

"I can't imagine what's keeping Haymitch," Effie says to us as she checks her watch.

I sit on the couch along with Katniss and Prim. Prim has her hands folded but she is tapping her foot. It is our weekly visit from Effie and we are supposed to meet Haymitch Abernathy who is Katniss's social worker.

He is fifteen minutes late.

Suddenly there is a loud banging on the door and Effie jumps up to get it. She looks pissed. I look at Katniss who stands up to smooth out her pants. Prim sits up straight.

"You were supposed to be here at one, Haymitch!" We can hear Effie hissing at the man at the doorway.

Haymitch enters and I'm surprised by his appearance. He is holding a motorcycle helmet and his suit is rumpled. His hair is a dirty blonde and he is tall with sunken in cheeks.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Effie," he tells her easily. "Unless you ain't wearing any…" Mr. Abernathy gives her a grin.

The blush that is on her cheeks brightens at his statement.

"Please help me out here," she tells him and then looks over at us. "This is Mr. Haymitch Abernathy, your social worker for the time being. This is Primrose Everdeen." Prim steps forward to shake his hand. "Peeta Mellark, Katniss's fiancé."

"Fiancé, eh?" He smiles at me and shakes my hand. "How convenient." My insides freeze. Does he suspect something?

"This is Katniss Everdeen," Effie introduces her. Katniss looks him straight in the eye.

They stare at one another for a moment. Finally, he grins at her. "She has spunk." He turns to me. "You sure you can handle her boy?"

"I handle myself, thank you," Katniss says dryly.

"Okay, let's get started," Effie says exasperated.

An hour later after a house inspection and then a private interview with Prim, Effie seems satisfied enough.

Haymitch, however, is not.

"Your work here is done, Effie," he tells her like he is talking to a petulant child. "I need to talk to the lovely couple before I take off."

"But—"

"Thanks darlin'," he interrupts. "You have a good rest of the day torturing other families."

"Well I never." Effie goes to the door and I rush over to open the door for her. She gives me a weak smile. "I will see you three next week." She glances over at Haymitch and for a moment I can see hurt in her eyes.

I close the door. Haymitch looks over at Prim who is leaning on the archway between the living room and dining room. "Why don't you go upstairs and do some homework, sweetheart? I need to talk to your sister and soon-to-be brother."

Prim glances over at Katniss who nods at her before going upstairs. I sit back down and take her hand.

"You were kind of mean to Effie," Katniss says bluntly.

"She's been bent out of shape since we slept together," he tells us. For a moment, Haymitch looks at us with serious eyes. "It was one night. We were drunk. Well I was drunk." He laughs wryly.

We look at him then one another. My fiancée glares at him. "This is really unprofessional."

"You're one to tell me." He looks at her and crosses his arms. "This is fake, isn't it?" He points at each of us.

Katniss lets out a nervous laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"Your engagement," he tells us. He meets my eyes as if he is trying to fish out the answer. "You may have been able to fake it with Effie but I could see the sham right away. If you're not careful then they'll see right through your lie."

"Who exactly?" I ask him. Instinctually, I move closer to Katniss and she looks at me with fear in her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you or Prim. I'll keep you safe."

Haymitch looks at us curiously. I can tell we've thrown him off. At least I have.

"I guess she didn't tell you then." Haymitch leans forward. "Once Effie and I have deemed you qualified, you will be assessed by one more inspector. It could happen in as little as a year. Snow is not a nice man and he'll see through this." He looks at us pointedly. "Right away."

"Why are you telling us this?" Katniss asks him.

"Girl, I was in the system for four years," he informs her. "You can't imagine how many homes I've gone to. I'm lucky to be alive. I had a friend who was Prim's age when I met her. She went through the same thing as me but she wasn't so lucky. Maysilee ended up with a family who beat her until she was black and blue. By the time, I found her she was tricking in the Tenderloin to support her habit. She disappeared about five years ago. Do you want Prim going through that?"

Katniss was shaking her head frantically. "No! Of course not."

"Then you make sure you look like you're in love. I need you to convince me," he tells us quickly. "Get married soon and make sure that Prim keeps her grades up. Make sure she stays out of trouble. Be the happy newlyweds. I will push back your inspection dates with Snow as long as I can."

"I still don't understand," Katniss says. "Why are you trying to help us?"

He reaches for his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He opens it and takes out a photo handing it to Katniss. We look at it. The girl in the photo is blonde and her hair is pulled back showing off her pretty face. Her eyes are serious and she isn't smiling. She looks blank.

She also looks remarkably like Prim.

"This is her, isn't it? Maysilee?" I ask and Haymitch nods.

"She's already halfway gone in this photo," Katniss remarks and hands it back to him. Her face is colorless. "I'm going to go check on Prim."

Katniss kisses me quickly and then walks up the stairs. I savor the moment of her warm lips against mine.

"How long have you been in love with her?" he asks me. I'm not sure if he's testing me.

"Since I was four," I reply playing his game. "We use to live across the street and when Prim was born we made her family a cake to congratulate them. She was wearing a red dress and her hair was in two braids instead of one. I knew since the day that I met her that I was going to love her for the rest of my life."

It is not far from the truth. I do love Katniss but I'm not sure in what way anymore. It is hard to distinguish between my heart and my head right now. Not to mention, my body. Lately it has been reacting to her more than it should.

"That's a damn fine answer boy," he replies. "There may be hope for you two yet."

++++++

A few days later as I was moving my things to Katniss's, I presented Katniss with the prenup that Wheaton drew up at my mother's insistence.

I sit with her as she reads over it at the dining room table.

"You don't have to sign it," I tell her again. "We can still negotiate." It states that if we get divorced, she gets nothing.

She shakes her head. "I don't want anything from your family. Just you," Katniss tells me. I smile at her sincerity.

Quickly, she signs it and hands it back to me. "Haymitch said that we should get married soon," I tell her. "Next month then?" She shakes her head in agreement.

Katniss looks at her hand with the engagement ring on it. "I feel like I'm ruining your life."

"Why?" I'm shocked by her direct statement. "You're my best friend Katniss and I don't work without you."

She kisses me quickly and then gets up. She's been doing that a lot lately. Kissing me and then running off. Katniss returns with a notepad and pen. I watch her write on the pad. "What are you doing?"

Katniss looks up. "We're making our own prenup. One with our own rules."

I look at the pad to see what she had written:

_THIS AGREEMENT IS TO BE MADE IN TRIPLICATE_

_BETWEEN:_

_Peeta Mellark (The Groom)_

_of the City of San Francisco  
in the State of California_

_\- AND -_

_Katniss Everdeen (The Bride)_

_of the City of San Francisco  
in the State of California_

_PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT_

I look at her. "Where did you get this?"

"It says the exact same thing on the prenup that you just gave me," she tells me. "Name your terms."

"My terms? What about yours?" I ask her.

"We have to start somewhere," she says. "Think of something, Peeta."

I sigh and think for a moment. "Fine. You have to stay in school for the next four years. I will pay for any classes, books, and anything else needed." Katniss looks at me like she wants to refuse. "You wanted me to name my terms, didn't you? Write it down."

She frowns but writes it down. "I have to pay you back after so I'm writing that down."

"Also, you have to agree to let me take care of Prim's schooling also."

Katniss shakes her head. "Peeta."

"Don't be stubborn," I tell her. "We are going to raise a future Doctor. She might cure cancer. The least I could do is buy her books."

"You're so bossy," she tells me and I grin. "Okay, we split on all household needs such as food, utilities, etc."

"You quit that horrible waitressing job." Katniss agrees quickly.

"You pursue another major other than Business," she says.

"I'll try it for this semester," I reply. "We'll go from there."

Katniss suddenly puts down the pen and looks down. When she finally looks up, her face is red. "We should probably talk about this. Sex."

"Huh?" My jaw drops on its own accord.

"We are going to be together until Prim is eighteen," Katniss says. "You have needs. So do I. You should be compensated for your sacrifice."

"Are you insane?" It comes out harsher than I realize. Is this really happening? My best friend and I are negotiating bedroom matters.

Her face falls. "So you're planning to sleep with other women while you're married to me?"

"No, no!" I take her hand. "I'm just not forcing you to sleep with me."

"It's not forced," she says suddenly. Katniss looks at our entwined hands. "You've never been…curious?"

"I'm not going to say that I haven't thought about it," I reply honestly. If she only knew. An image of Katniss splayed across a bed enters my mind. "Sex can get complicated. We are complicated enough."

"I know you," Katniss informs me. "You tell me all the time about your conquests. You think that your need for a warm female body is going to stop overnight?"

"Don't act like you're so daisy fresh," I respond. "You've been with other guys after Gale, right?"

"I have but I didn't sleep with all of them," she retorts. "Unlike you."

"You make me sound like some sort of manwhore."

"If the shoe fits," she mumbles and I can tell that she's trying not to laugh.

"Okay," I say after a moment. "Twice a week then. Put me down for that."

Katniss laughs skeptically. "You're that good? Good enough for me to want sex twice a week?"

I take her face in my hands and kiss her. I feel her body relax and she moans softly into my mouth so I gently slip my tongue into her mouth. I suck on her lower lip before I pull away.

We are both gasping for breath. Katniss still has her eyes closed.

"You should probably write that down," I tell her smugly.

"I will as soon as my brain remembers how to use a pen." Katniss opens her eyes after a minute and looks at me. "You're good."

She writes though there is a slight tremble in her penmanship.

"What if you meet someone else while we're married?" I ask her. She looks up at me for a moment.

"I won't, I never wanted to be married or involved with anyone in the first place," she replies. "And you?"

"No," I tell her truthfully. "This is my first and last marriage."

Katniss hands our prenup over to me. "Look it over then sign it."

_THIS AGREEMENT IS TO BE MADE IN TRIPLICATE_

_BETWEEN:_

_Peeta Mellark (The Groom)_

_of the City of San Francisco  
in the State of California_

_\- AND -_

_Katniss Everdeen (The Bride)_

_of the City of San Francisco  
in the State of California_

_PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT_

_BACKGROUND_

_This Prenuptial Agreement is made between Peeta Mellark (The Groom) and Katniss Everdeen (The Bride.) who have agreed to enter into a marriage with one another._

_The Groom and the Bride intend for this Agreement to become effective the day of the marriage._

_NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the upcoming marriage, and in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants contained in this Agreement, the parties agree as follows:_

_1\. The Bride agrees to attend school for a term of four years. The groom will provide for all necessary classes, books, and supplies._

_1A. The Bride agrees to pay the Groom back after the four years have been reached._

_2\. The Groom agrees to provide for all educational needs for Primrose Everdeen until she reaches the age of eighteen._

_3\. All household needs (mortgage, utilities, etc.) will be divided and paid for by both the Bride and Groom._

_4\. Bride agrees to end her employment at the requested establishment effective immediately._

_5\. The Groom agrees to pursue another major if he finds his current one unsatisfactory._

_5A. The Groom agrees to pursue Business as his major until the end of the current semester._

_6\. The Bride and the Groom agree to intercourse for a minimum of twice a week until the end of their marriage contract._

_6A. Exceptions will be made per the Bride's menstrual cycle._

I sign it and then hand it over to her. She looks it over again then signs it.

"One more thing," I tell her. "Kids."

"No," she says firmly. "No children."

"I'm not talking about having them." I run a hand through my hair. "I'm talking about preventing them."

"Oh right. I'll make an appointment at the clinic on 12th Avenue for both of us," Katniss states.

"Why both of us?"

"You need to get tested." She looks over at me and crosses her arms. "I don't know where you've been."

"Are you jealous?"

"Just cautious."

"I wasn't with all of them," I say truthfully. "More like two of them."

"No wonder. All those 'rate the dates' were always so low," Katniss remarks.

"Just because I did it, doesn't mean that I enjoyed it." I tug playfully at her braid. "Like I told you, sex is complicated."

We go to the couch and sit down tiredly. Katniss lays her head in my lap and I unravel her braid running my hands through her soft hair. We stay in a comfortable silence.

Katniss looks up at me. "It's going to get difficult soon, isn't it?"

"Well, we're getting married in a month," I tell her. "So yeah. It kind of already is."

"Might as well enjoy it now," Katniss responds.

I continue to run my fingers through her hair enjoying the silence of the house.

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever," I say softly.

When I look down again, I see that she has fallen asleep.

One more month.

I ignore the excitement growing in my chest.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A lot to get through. I feel like this was sort of a filler.

I imagine Chloe looking a little like Khloe Kardashian. Don't you love how ballsy both she and Delly are? In case you're wondering the restaurant in the Castro that they're in is Woodhouse Fish Company. They serve a do-it-yourself lemonade.

The Laurel Court Restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel is on Nob Hill. My husband took me there for Valentine's Day a few years ago. The most expensive dinner ever. It's really an awesome place. I was a dresser for a fashion show there once and it was so much fun to be able to go there for three days straight.

I love me some angry Peeta.

So Haymitch has made his appearance and he is on their side! Always the mentor.

There's a line from the book. Did you spot it?

I don't know why but I seem to have a fascination with contracts lately. I blame Fifty Shades. I found a sample of a prenup and decided to create a fake one for them.

NEXT: We are back to the Prologue. Here come the Newlyweds.

Reviews mean love! PM's and alerts are welcome. Thank you!

-JLaLa


	6. Katniss

Author's Notes at the bottom.

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. I merely like to mess with them.

But if only you gave me  
the keys to your soul  
and let me in  
I'm gonna love you  
over, and over again…

-Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz (Two Wrongs)

WARNING: Katniss and Peeta are dirty birds. Mature themes ahead.

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Five: Katniss

"So Katniss," the medical assistant begins. "How long have you been sexually active?"

"I wouldn't say I was active," I respond and adjust myself on the examination table. "Would you count an awkward first time and a few flings as sexually active?"

"When was the last time you've had intercourse?" She is sitting on the chair across from me with a clipboard in her hands. I wonder how Peeta is doing. He is in the exam room adjacent to my own.

"Maybe two years ago."

"Okay, I will put two years." She jots down my information and then goes through the list asking me if I've had any STD's, pregnancies, miscarriages. I reply no to all but I am starting to feel sick to my stomach right now. "Why are you here today?"

Because I want to screw my best friend.

"Because I'm getting married and we want to take all the necessary precautions," I say instead.

"You're only eighteen," she remarks. "Kind of young, aren't you?"

"Have you seen my fiancé?" I think of Peeta's handsome face and I feel a grin creep onto my face.

She lets herself smile before she continues. "Any preference on the method of birth control?"

"Whatever is the easiest." The assistant gets up and removes a gown and a paper blanket from the side of the examination table. "Take everything off and put this on with the opening in the back. Use the blanket to go over your legs."

I nod and she leaves the room. Quickly I remove my clothes and slip on the gown. It is surprisingly soft. Sitting back on the table, I put the blanket over my legs. The room is grey with the table taking most of the space. There is a poster talking about the woman's reproductive system.

We are getting married next week. How did the time pass?

City Hall was the most convenient and practical. We didn't want any real fuss and I lack the bridal gene so it was the best idea. Peeta's Dad offered to help with the payment if we wanted a fancier wedding but we both refused. Haymitch informed us that the sooner it was, the better it would be. If we ended up meeting Snow, it would look better if we were married longer.

He also told us during the last meeting that we needed to come up with a good cover story. How did we fall in love? Where was our first date? These tiny details would give our story a little more credibility.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. "Katniss?"

"Come in." The door opens and a pretty young woman with dark hair enters the room. She gives me a friendly smile and I notice how green her eyes are.

"I am Dr. Annie Cresta," she introduces herself. "How are you today?"

"As good as I can be wearing a hospital gown and a paper blanket."

She nods and sits down on a moving stool. Dr. Cresta opens my file and looks over my information. She raises her eyebrows. "Your fiancé is Peeta Mellark?" I nod.

I hope he didn't sleep with her.

"My husband works for him at the Mellark Gym," she tells me. "Small world."

"Yes."

Dr. Cresta notices my nervousness and gives me another smile. "You have to relax. This isn't a test."

I laugh. "This is my first time doing this."

"A pelvic exam or the birth control?"

"Both. I've only used condoms before."

"Well, I will try to make it the easiest I can for you," she tells me. Then Dr. Cresta pulls the stirrups out of the table. "Now put your feet on these, scoot down and then I'm going to need you to spread your legs."

"I've only just met you," I tell her jokingly.

She laughs as she pulls out a speculum from a drawer below the stirrups. I stare at the duck-billed instrument and I consider running out of the office, gown and all.

"Take a deep breath," she instructs.

I do and she inserts it in.

Holy crap.

++++++

When I walk out, Peeta is in the waiting room. Dr. Cresta has given me a Depo-Provera shot and tells me that I will be good for three months. It will be effective in a week, just in time. I will have to return after the shot has worn off. I give him a weak smile before walking to the counter to schedule my follow up.

The medical assistant who assisted me is at the front desk. "So three months for your follow up?"

I nod and she looks over my shoulder to where Peeta is sitting. I turn to see that she is openly gaping at him. When our eyes meet, he winks at me.

"Your fiancé?" she asks and I nod. The girl smiles at me. "Wowza. Congratulations."

"I know, right?" The assistant hands me an appointment card still staring at him.

Going to Peeta, I lean down and kiss his lips softly. The kiss is one of anticipation and I savor softness of his lips. The slight firmness of his kiss tells me that he feels the same neediness.

When we part, I stare into the blue of his eyes for a moment. "Let's go?" I say softly.

Peeta gets up slowly and we walk out hand and hand silently. "How was your exam?" he asks me as we walk to the car.

"Well, I had something inserted inside me then I got shot in the arm," I tell him.

"You deserve some lunch," Peeta tells me.

We get into his car and I think back to a few months ago when we sat in this car talking about the merits of marrying someone ugly. I turn the radio on and our eyes meet.

"What did I tell you about messing with my radio?" He jokes as we drive away.

"Don't I get some privileges as your wife?" I pout at him and put a hand on his thigh.

Peeta's body stiffens. I realize that I have some sort of effect on him and something inside me is thrilled at the thought. I feel smug having this ability to bring him into submission.

"Yes, but we're not married yet," he points out after a moment.

"How did the exam go for you?" I ask.

"I just had a blood test as well as a urine test." He grimaces as he drives. "Also, there was a very embarrassing question and answer portion."

"Did they ask how many women you slept with?"

"Yes." I already know the answer.

"Did they ask how many women you've messed around with?"

He nods but remains silent. I realize that I don't know that answer. It makes me nervous because I have next to no experience when it comes to pleasuring someone.

I hardly know how to pleasure myself.

He looks over at me and notices my red face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important," I reply and change the subject. "Did you know that the Doctor that examined me knows you? Her name is Annie Cresta."

Peeta blanches. "Finnick is going to give me so much shit about that."

"Who's Finnick?"

"He's a personal trainer at the gym and her husband," he tells me.

"Why would he give you crap?"

"Because Annie has just seen your vagina before I did."

"Oh." I look straight ahead. "Well I'm sure it's nothing extraordinary. Would you like me to show you?"

He barely brakes in time as we are an inch from rear-ending the back of the truck in front of us.

Peeta turns to me and his eyes are blazing with want. "Are you trying to kill me?"

I shake my head and go back to looking ahead of me.

So maybe I do know a little something about pleasure.

++++++

"Well if it isn't the soon to be Mrs. Mellark!" Cinna says as I walk into work the next day. "My blushing bride." He walks over and puts an arm around me.

It is a slow day and we won't have an appointment until noon.

"So what are you wearing for the ceremony?" Portia says from the reception desk where she is flipping through a magazine. I join her and turn on the computer.

"I'll find something in my closet," I tell them. "I think I can still fit into my graduation dress."

"Oh hell no," Flavius says from his station. "You are not going to wear a little girl's dress to your wedding."

"Honey, you need to wear something that is going to make Peeta fall to his knees," Octavia tells me as she cleans her mirror in front of her station. "Portia and I are doing your hair by the way. We're not taking no for an answer."

"I'm not swimming in money." I pull up the appointment calendar. "Peeta doesn't care. He's seen me."

"You are so lucky you know us," Cinna says and he walks to the back. When he returns, he is holding a garment bag. "Portia and I found this in that vintage store on Haight. It's a little old and it will need to be taken it but I think it will fit." He unzips the garment bag and reveals the dress.

The dress is long sleeved with a square neckline. It has a lace overlay and it is a little long on me. I can see the potential in it however.

Portia puts an arm around me. "When we saw it, we knew that it needed to be yours sweetie."

"You guys." I am touched by their earnestness to help me. "It's beautiful."

"Well try it on, Mrs. Mellark," Cinna says in a gruff voice. "We can work on it since it's down time."

I take the bag gingerly and go to the restroom where I put the dress on carefully. The waist is perfect but the hemline does need to be taken up. When I open the door, Portia is there and she hands me a pair of sparkling pumps as she smiles gently. I put them on and then we walk to the front.

"Oh Katniss," Octavia gushes. "It's perfect."

Cinna walks over and turns me towards Flavius's mirror. Flavius sits in the chair next to the mirror and I can see that his eyes are misty. "Just imagine, the sleeves will be three-quartered and I'll shorten the skirt to your knees," Cinna says as he kneels to pin the skirt to the perfect length.

At the same time, Portia is folding up the sleeves and pulling in the waist. "I want this to fit perfectly to your body. Peeta has to see how desirable you are. He needs to know that you're a woman and you have the curves to prove it."

"He knows I'm a woman," I tell her defensively. "He is marrying me. He loves me."

"Yes, but he sees you as the innocent virgin," she explains. "You are so much more than that."

"You can be the seductress," Cinna says as he stands up. "We are just giving you the tools to become one."

"Oh mama," Flavius breathes and goes to me. "You're going to make his head spin."

Octavia goes to me and she undoes my braid so my waves are flowing down my back. Then she takes a round hairpiece and places it to the side of my head. Pulling the netting forward, I see that it grazes my eye line.

They all step back so that I can look at myself fully in the mirror.

I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.

I realize that soon I will be Peeta's wife and I'm going to let him remove this dress from my body. I feel my throat constrict.

What the hell am I doing?

Cinna notices my distress and steps forward. "Katniss, what's wrong love?"

"I just realized that I'm going to have to sleep with Peeta."

"Wait, you've never slept with him?" Portia looks at me curiously. "I know that you were keeping your relationship under wraps but I thought that you had spent some time alone together."

I shake my head and put my hand to my stomach. "I'm going to look like a fool."

"You've had sex, right?" Octavia asks me.

"The few times I had they weren't very good." I look at them. "I don't know what to do."

"Katniss, you're going to be fine," Cinna assures me. "You know the basics, right?"

"Basics?"

Flavius throws his hands up. "Holy hell. Go change and then we all need to talk about the birds and the bees."

"I know about the birds and the bees!" I scowl at him.

"Yes but you need to know how the birds and the bees correctly get it on," Flavius replies dramatically.

When I finish my shift, my head is swimming with instructions on the basics plus a few extra instructions that I can't think about doing to Peeta without my legs giving way.

Why did I write that prenup?

++++++

It is the night before the ceremony.

"Katniss?" I look up to see Prim in a pretty pink dress. I recognize it as one that I wore in Middle School for a Spring Dance. "It's what I'm wearing to the wedding. What do you think?"

I put the book that I was reading down and stand up to go to her. "Prim, you look so beautiful." I kiss her forehead. "You've grown up so fast." She smiles at me then I see her falter. "What's wrong?"

I lead her to the couch and she sits next to me. Prim plays with her braid and bites her lip before looking up at me. "Do you miss Mom and Dad, Katniss?"

Her question takes me aback. I think for a moment before looking at her again. "I do. I have just been so preoccupied with so much that I haven't been able to think about them. I miss Dad playing his records on Sunday nights. I miss Mom telling us about the different veterans who would propose to her during her work shifts." I laugh to myself but it comes out choked.

"I was thinking that they should be here with us, Katniss," Prim says to me. "Mom should be helping you pick out your wedding dress. Dad should be giving you away. But they're not." She wipes her eyes. "They are not going to be here to see me or you graduate. They won't see me get married. Neither of them will hold you first child."

She begins to weep and I pull her to me. "Our parents are somewhere watching over us Prim. One day, a very long time from now, we will see them again. In the meantime, I will watch you graduate and I will scream my head off when you get your diploma. When you get married, Peeta will give you away and if I ever have a baby, you will get to hold him or her."

"Do you believe in Heaven, Katniss?" she asks as she puts her head against my chest. "Do you believe in God or any of those things?"

"Yes, I think I do," I tell her. I don't tell her that sometimes I think that whoever is up there has forgotten us.

"Sometimes, I think that there isn't such a place," she tells me.

"You can't think like that Prim." I look up to see Peeta at the archway. He has been upstairs moving some of his things into my—I mean our room. "You're too young to lose faith already."

"What would you know about losing faith?" I ask him. Peeta looks at me for a moment before he grabs his keys from the coffee table in front of us.

"Let's go," he tells us. "Put a jacket on, Prim. It's cold tonight."

She looks at me and then gets up to get a coat from the rack next to the front door. I stand up and go over to him. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me," he says and gets my jacket. "We won't be long."

We get into Peeta's car and he remains mysteriously quiet as he drives onto Fulton Avenue near our home. As we drive uphill, I see the tall bell towers of St. Ignatius Church. At night, the building is lit up and it looks beautiful against the blue violet sky. We turn onto the street where it is and he parks quickly. Prim and I get out of the car looking up at the building in front of us.

"Is this where we are going?" she asks him. Peeta takes her hand and I follow them across the street to a smaller building with similar coloring to the church. He opens the heavy wooden door and we all enter together.

"Wow," Prim breathes. "It's beautiful."

We are inside a small chapel. The floors are marbled and walls are stone with pillars on each side of the little church. The altar is right below a small dome and a beautiful golden figure is right below that. Candles light the tiny church giving it an ethereal glow. There is no one but us inside and it feels peaceful.

Prim looks like an angel with her white coat and her flowing blonde hair. She examines the pillars and the statues of the saints.

"Peeta, what are we doing here?" I ask in a quiet voice. He glows in the candlelight and he leads me to the front towards the altar.

The altar is protected by a metal gate on the stairway. I notice that the stairs below the gate is padded. He kneels and pulls me gently so I kneel next to him. Prim joins us after a moment.

"When my grandmother was sick, my Mother took me here to pray for her," he told us. "I had never been so in awe. It was beautiful and quiet. It was the only place where my Mother didn't seem as scary to me. There are statues of saints on each corner, you can write things and put them in the bowl next to them. Kind of like a wishing well."

"Did you get what you prayed for?" I found myself asking. Prim was listening attentively.

"My mother didn't," he told me sadly. "My grandmother died a few days after that and she never came back here. I think that's when she changed." Peeta takes my hand and smiles softly. "I always kept hope that my prayer would though. I didn't realize that it was happening but just very slowly."

"What do you mean Peeta?" Prim asks him.

"I prayed for someone to love me and for someone to love," he tells her. "I prayed for a family of my own." Peeta looks at us. "I got what I prayed for or I will get it tomorrow at noon. I found someone to love me. You're my family now. Both of you."

I glance at Peeta. His profile is strong and steady like him. I squeeze his hand as we stare at one another. In this light, he seems different from the Peeta I know. He's not a boy anymore but a man. A man who I'm going to be legally bound to tomorrow. A small shiver of excitement runs through me.

We look up again. "I'm praying that we always love each other," he says quietly.

After a moment, I join him. "I'm praying that we always take of each other."

"I'm praying that we are always a family," Prim adds. "Thank you for taking us here."

"Yes, thank you," I tell him.

We get up and before we leave. I see Peeta pull out five bills and insert them into a donation sliver on a far wall. The three of us walk out of the chapel.

Peeta puts an arm around my sister. "Want to head over to Ghirardelli?"

"On a school night?"

"You're not going to school tomorrow, remember?" he tells her. "You're going to a wedding."

"Oh yeah. I could go for some chocolate ice cream." Prim looks at me. "Katniss? Ghirardelli Square for ice cream?"

I smile at her. "Let's go." She crosses the street to go to the car leaving me and Peeta standing together. "What were the bills that you put in?"

"They were hundreds," he tells me. "Our wedding present from my Mother, I hope you don't mind."

"No." I kiss him lightly on the lips. "The money is where it should be."

++++++

"Going to the chapel and we're going to get married…"

I open my eyes and see Portia sitting at my vanity table. She is setting up her own mini hair station as she sings to herself.

Groaning I sit up and she gives me a dazzling smile. "Good morning sunshine," she greets me. "Happy Wedding Day."

"Who let you in?" I reach for my clock and realize that it is on the other side of the bed. Peeta's side.

"Prim did," she tells me. "She is downstairs right now. Octavia is doing her hair."

"Why are you here so early?"

"To help you get ready of course." Portia gets up and pulls me out of bed. "Get a move on."

"It's only nine," I argue with her.

"Well you have to shower then we do your hair and makeup," she explains. "Cinna will be along with your dress. Also, I have to help you into this."

She holds up an ivory bustier and baby blue panties.

"That is for a monkey," I tell her. "I'm not wearing that."

"It's for Peeta," she argues. "Something for him to look at when he takes your dress off."

"He won't be able to take that thing off," I tell her examining the corset lacing on the back of it. "It looks so complicated."

"It's called anticipation honey," Portia replies. "Now shower."

I get up to quickly shower grumbling about being bossed around. I brush my teeth while the water hits my body. When I get out and walk into my room, Cinna is there and the garment bag is hanging on the closet door.

"The blushing bride," Cinna says and kisses my forehead.

Between Portia and him, they pluck, wax and remove any hair on my body. Then Octavia comes in to drench my hair in styling products before drying it. It is glossy and voluminous when she is complete. Prim comes in when they are squeezing me into the bustier. She blushes when she sees my tiny waist and ample breasts before she goes to change.

Octavia is curling my hair and Portia is doing my makeup when Prim returns in her pink dress. "You look lovely, Prim." She walks over to me and presents me with a gold necklace that has a bow and arrow charm on it.

"It's your something borrowed," Prim says. "You have your old, new and blue already."

"What?"

"Something old, your dress. Something new and blue, your underwear and something borrowed, my necklace." Prim puts it on my neck. "It's tradition for the bride to have these things on her wedding day. "Mom would have wanted you to wear it."

The bow and arrow necklace was the first present that my Dad gave my Mom. She was a master archer in college. Prim was always fascinated with it so Mom gave it to her after Dad died.

The last part of the process is to put the dress on me. Cinna and Portia help me slowly step into it. Cinna zips it up slowly and then Octavia put the hair piece which is called a fascinator onto the side of my head. Then she pulls the netting over. Prim helps me into my heels.

When I present myself to them finally, they are all silent with admiration.

"Katniss, you're a bride," Prim says breathlessly. "Mom and Dad would've loved this."

"Really?" She leads me over to the mirror in the corner of the room.

I don't recognize the person that I'm looking at. She has long dark curls and curves. They are emphasized by the ivory lace dress that she wears. Suddenly I am aware again that Peeta will remove this dress but I'm not scared anymore.

In fact, I am ready for whatever happens.

The doorbell rings. It's probably Delly and Madge with the taxi. They live close to one another so they shared one before heading over to pick Prim and I up.

"It's time," Prim said. "Let's go get you married."

++++++

"By the powers vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the officiate says.

"Give it to her Peeta!" Rye says from behind me. Delly is whistling as the rest of our party claps.

I look at Peeta in his dark suit and green tie. He is looking shyly at me.

Peeta pulls me close. "Make it good," I tell him. "We need the pictures." Peeta winks at me before he dips me and our lips meet. I wrap my arms around his neck for leverage and to deepen the kiss. I can hear the clicks of Delly's camera as she takes picture after picture.

When he pulls me back up, I am left breathless. "Did we just get married?" I ask him.

"It's appears so," he replies with a crooked smile. "Can I kiss you again?" I nod and our lips meet.

When we pull away, I see that Delly, Madge, Rye and Prim are all that are left.

"Your parents left," Prim says to Peeta. "Your mom wasn't feeling well and Wheaton said that he had a three o'clock meeting that he needed to make but he would be try to stop by the restaurant."

Peeta nods. "You hungry?"

I lick my lips. I didn't realize that I hadn't had anything to eat this morning.

"Starving," I reply. We head down the grand staircase slowly and people congratulate us as we walk pass them.

As we wait for Rye to get Peeta's car for us, Delly takes photos of us in front of City Hall in different poses.

I adjust Peeta's tie for him. "You wore green," I say to him and he grins.

He caresses my face and I am lost in his touch. "It's your favorite color."

"Do you want to rate the date?" I ask.

Peeta thinks for a moment and then looks at me before answering. "Ten, definitely a ten."

++++++

"Fortune time!" Delly announces.

She passes the bowl around as we are sit at our round table. Chopsticks litter the table and I am ready to pass out because I am so full. It turned out that Cinna and the rest my prep team closed the salon for the day. They were all busy with Chloe decorating our table at the Emperor, the restaurant in Chinatown where we were having lunch.

Prim and Rye had just finished serenading us in the Lounge after our meal. The two of them did an amazing yet hilarious rendition of '03 Bonnie and Clyde, dance moves and all. The sight of my sister swinging her hips reminded me that she was not a little girl anymore.

She made an amazing Beyonce too.

"I saw Rye as more of easy listening kind of guy," Peeta says to me. "Who knew that he could rap like Jay-Z?" I giggle and take my fortune cookie.

"Alright people, read them out," Chloe instructs. "I'll go first. Never forget a friend, unless he owes you."

We go around the table. Fortunes range from puzzling like Prim's: 'Because of your melodic nature, the moonlight never misses an appointment' to funny like Portia's: 'A starship ride has been promised to you by the galactic wizard'.

"Okay, it's the bride's turn to read her fortune," Cinna says from across the table.

I haven't opened mine yet and neither has Peeta. Splitting the cookie, I read it over and blush.

"Flattery will go far tonight," I say in a choked voice. Portia wolf-whistles while everyone laughs.

Peeta opens his, hesitates and then reads it out loud. "Something sweet is coming."

"Maybe it should be 'Someone sweet is coming,'" Rye jokes.

I cover Prim's ears. "Rye," I hiss.

"Oh! Sorry sis!" Peeta smiles when Rye calls me his sister.

"Katniss, I'm fourteen not four," Prim says calmly. "By the way, I'm staying at Rue's tonight. Madge will drop me off. You need to be alone."

I take a sip of water suddenly feeling incredibly warm in my dress,

++++++

The house is silent except for our footsteps. Peeta and I remain quiet as we ascend up the stairs slowly since I'm afraid I'll break my neck in my heels. Somehow my breath comes out steadily and I am telling myself it's because Peeta always comes into my room. We use to do homework together in this room.

Except that it's not my room anymore, it's OUR room.

We stand at the doorway both afraid to enter. I turn down his request to carry of the threshold because I know that we are both nervous. Cinna and the team have managed to throw rose petals around the room and on the bed from our viewpoint.

"This is going to be a bitch to clean," I remark and Peeta chuckles quietly. We enter the room hand in hand.

"I'm sure they intended this to be romantic," he said to me. "They just didn't realize that you hate roses." To me, roses smell like death, decay, and their petals look like blood drops against the white sheets.

"You really do know me well." I turn to him and see that his blue eyes have darkened.

I realize that I'm a step away from the bed. If I step back then I can just lay down. I turn around unsteadily so my back is facing him and gather my hair over my shoulder. I turn my head and meet his eyes over my other shoulder. "Unzip me?"

I turn to look at the bed and hear his footsteps. He would make a horrible hunter. His steps are loud in our quiet room. When he is next to me, my shoulder slightly leans into his chest and I can feel the accelerated beat of his heart. His mouth is against my ear and my mouth parts slightly.

Peeta unzips my dress slowly and I anticipate showing him what I have underneath. Portia was right. The feeling of anticipation is the best.

When he reaches the end of the zipper track, I feel his hands on my shoulders pushing the fabric off slowly exposing my arms, waist and then hips as it falls to the ground.

"It really is a beautiful dress," he says as I step away from the fabric and he removes it off the ground and puts it on a nearby chair. Peeta removes his jacket also. I turn to him so he can see what I have been squeezed into. "However, I like what you're wearing right now much better."

"Too bad." I pout and he inhales sharply. "I was going to ask you to take it off."

Peeta walks over to me until we are chest to chest. "I won't make you do anything that you are uncomfortable with, Katniss. We can disregard our prenup."

I shake my head. "For some reason, I feel that this is exactly where we should be." I take his hand and kiss his fingers lingering on the one where his wedding ring is. Peeta closes his eyes.

His eyes remain closed for a full minute before he opens them again. The look in them makes me shiver. There is a lot going on. Fear, anxiousness, lust… "Has anyone ever asked you what you want Katniss?"

"What do you mean?" I look up at him curiously and against my own will my fingers trace the buttons of his shirt.

"Gale or any of the other guys," Peeta continues in a low voice. "When you were with them, did they ask what you want?"

"No, I barely knew what I wanted," I mumble into his chest still focused on the buttons.

"What do you want Katniss?"

I stare up at him confused. "What?"

He looks straight into my eyes. "Tell me what you want Katniss," Peeta says firmly. His forceful tone causes something in my lower abdomen to twist in pleasure.

"I want to take off your shirt." It escapes my mouth before I could even think.

"I can tell," he says to me. "Your fingers have been fixated on the buttons for awhile now." He takes my wrist in his hand and kisses it before placing my hand on his chest. "Take it off then."

I remove his tie first. "Thank you for wearing this tie. I really do love green."

"We can put it to good use later on," Peeta tells me and inside I am thrilled at the possibilities.

My hand goes to his collar and I undo the first button near the base of his neck. I continue down touching bits of his exposed skin. When I get to the buttons on his chest, I am greeted with a large expanse of skin and I can't resist putting my hand to his chest.

Peeta hisses sharply and I remove the rest of the shirt buttons until my hand is at the top of his belt buckle. I push the shirt off of him so I can look at his chest. I am fascinated at how perfect he looks. He is well built from his work at the bakery lifting flour bags and at the gym where I'm sure he has trained.

"What do you want Peeta?" I ask him hoarsely.

"I want to rip this thing off you," he says looking at the bustier.

I turn around. "All you have to do is pull the strings apart." He does what he's told splitting the strings so that he can widen my silk caging. I am surprise that there are no indentations from its boning. It must be because it's silk. He lifts it off me and tosses it to the corner of the room.

Peeta removes the fascinator from my hair and it is somewhere in the room now. He gathers my hair to one side and proceeds to kiss my bare shoulder. His lips trace the line of it all the way to my neck. I barely recognize that the moan that echoes in my room is from me. He is causing this.

I turn around exposing my bare chest and his eyes glance downward to look at my breasts. "Are they acceptable?"

"You are beautiful," he tells me.

I cup my breasts with my hands and Peeta's jaw drops. "I always thought they were kind of small." I release them but not before I brush my thumbs against each of my nipples. A groan escapes him.

"No, they are perfect," he assures me. "Now what? I just want you to be comfortable with what we are about to do."

"I understand that." My hands go to his belt and I skillfully unbuckle it. "Sit on the bed." Peeta does what he is instructed to do. "Good boy."

"Treating your husband like a pet already?" he jokes.

I get on my knees and sit back so I can remove his shoes. "Yet, I am the one removing your shoes." I toss the heavy dress shoes behind me then stand before him. "What do you want me to do?"

He looks me squarely in the eyes. "Take off your panties."

I hook each side of my light blue panties and pull them down. His eyes widen at the sight of my nude body and his warm hands go to my hips before he gently caresses my bottom. Then he pulls me forward so that his face is aligned with my hips. If he was unsure whether or not I was turned on then he should be able to tell by now.

One of his hands moves my legs apart and he runs his hand up my thigh before he slides a finger into me. "Oh God," I say and he laughs to himself. His finger remains inside and he slowly removes it before putting two fingers in. "Please move."

He does what he is told and I am blissfully unaware of everything around me as he thrusts them into me over and over. How could he be doing this me? My best friend is bringing me to a climax before I can even react. I let out a small scream.

I am back in the room and Peeta is staring up at me. I can see he is excited by what he just saw.

"Take off your pants…now," I demand quietly, my voice low and needy. His eyes never leave mine as he unzips his pants and removes them, briefs and all.

He is perfection and my mouth waters in anticipation as he stands before me. My hand runs up his thigh and he moans. I put my head against his chest feeling his heart beating. When I reach his cock, I am enamored with the velvet feel encasing his hardness.

I've looked before but never touched.

I wrap my hand around him and stroke it as I kiss his chest. I am thoroughly enjoying this. "Katniss…"

"Hmm?"

"If you keep doing that than I won't be able to finish this the way that we both to." A bead of sweat runs down the side of his forehead. I pull back and he lifts my chin to kiss me. I realized that we haven't kissed this whole time and I let my tongue caress his. I want him to know how much I need him.

I pull away. "How do you want me?"

"Have you ever been on top?" he asks and I shake my head. "Really?"

Peeta sits back onto the bed. "I've always been on the bottom." I search for the word that my prep team told me. "You know, the missionary position? Is that the right?"

He nods. "We are going to do this differently then. You will be on top," Peeta instructs. Tentatively, I remove my heels and move towards him. When are knees touch, I cup his face and kiss him. He lays back against the sheet as we kiss.

When we pull away, I join him on the bed crawling towards his hips. When I am finally there, I straddle his hips. I look down at him and realized that this is it. There's no turning back now and neither of us is willing to stop.

"Past the point of no return," I tell him and he laughs gruffly from below.

I align myself to him and slowly I sink down. A shaky breath escapes me and I adjust to the fullness of him inside me. I rise once more and impale myself onto him. A spike of pleasure rushes through my body and a groan escapes my throat. "So good." I close my eyes.

"You're telling me," Peeta says and I open my eyes to look down at his face which is laced with pleasure. His hands travel up my sides and then he cups my breasts. He watches my reaction when he pinches both my nipples and I am flooded with lust. "Baby…"

I continue rising up and plunging down. Each time, our moans intensify and I am no longer in control. A different Katniss is running the show now and I don't mind as she lets Peeta touch her bundle of nerves down there.

It happens without warning when I feel my body clamp around him. His name escapes from my mouth and I can feel his own release approaching. He lets out a guttural groan pushing up once more. Warmth floods my body and I fall apart.

We both are silent as we regain our breath and I can feel the sweat on our bodies. I let my head rest against his chest and I realize that he is still inside me.

I look up at him with my chin on his chest. "So that's what hoopla is about," I say and he gives me a content smile.

"It was different," he tells me. "From all my other experiences."

"How?"

"I guess it's the feeling of not wanting to leave after," he tells me. "I'm happy being here with you."

I'm confused for a moment before I finally understand what he is saying. There is something nice about not having to sneak out in the morning.

It is the contentment of waking up to the person you're in love with.

Oh no.

Peeta was right. Sex makes everything complicated.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yay for the newlyweds!

A few things:

I realize now that there is some underage drinking in previous chapters. I am not promoting underage drinking but at the same time I'm not going to act like it doesn't happen. I did base some of this on my own experiences. I hope no one is offended by this.

The chapel that I am referring to is the Carmelite Monastery which is across the street from St. Ignatius. It is gorgeous. I'm not promoting any particular religion. I do like the thought that Peeta does have faith in a higher being whatever it may be and he wants his girls to understand it also.

Ghirardelli Square is the chocolate retailer and also an ice cream parlor near Fisherman's Wharf.

The restaurant they eat in after the wedding is based on the restaurant Empress of China in Chinatown.

Don't you love Rye and Prim performing '03 Bonnie and Clyde?

So you didn't see Finnick but Annie made an appearance. Look for him in the next chapter. Thanks to all of you who messaged me and made the suggestion for his appearance!

Did you spot the line from the book?

I love a forceful Peeta…

Reviews mean love, PM's and alerts are welcome.

NEXT: The morning after from Peeta's POV. Finnick makes an appearance and Peeta gets use to living with two girls.


	7. Peeta

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me; I just like to mess with them.

All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend.

Down to ride 'til the very end, it's me and my boyfriend…

-Beyonce and Jay-Z ('03 Bonnie and Clyde)-in honor of Prim and Rye!

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Six: Peeta

_Settle down with me  
And I'll be your safety  
You'll be my lady…_

I open my eyes and turn over to hit the snooze on the alarm. The song is promptly off making the room silent. It's the weekend so I have all day to sleep if I want. The glint on my hand catches my eyes and my mind hasn't registered that it is the band on my finger.

My wedding band.

I turn over and see the bare back of my wife. My wife. My mind suddenly wanders to last night as I remember her body rising and falling in ecstasy. It is hard to believe that my best friend is the same girl who I made love to last night.

Made love? This is getting complicated already.

She shifts in her sleep and her dark hair covers her. I reach over and move it so her smooth back is exposed. Somehow my body seems to move towards her until my chest is against her back. She sighs in her sleep.

My lips go to her neck and I can taste the sweat on it. I react suddenly to her taste. One of my arms reaches over to her chest and my hand, on its own accord, tease her nipples. Katniss moans and turns her head towards me and our mouths connect.

"What are you doing?" she asks groggily.

"Just go with it," I tell her as I nip at her ear. My other hand which is around her waist travels downward until it reaches her thigh. Slowly I part her thighs and reach for her core which is already wet for me.

There is something about Katniss that makes me ache for her more than any other girl I've ever been with. Maybe it's because I know her so well and the thought of not knowing everything about her bothers me.

Her inside are dripping for me and without thought I move closer so that I am suddenly inside her.

"Peeta." It comes out in a slow moan as I push in further. She leans her head back and I can see that her eyes are closed, her lips in a small smile. The feeling of control rushes through me and it gives me pleasure to know that I am doing this to her.

She turns her head slightly so that she can kiss me. I moan into her mouth and increase the speed of my hips. Pulling away, she pushes back against me and now a groan escapes my mouth. For someone who believes that her past trysts were horrible, she seems to know what she is doing.

I switch between her nipples tugging at them and I can feel her slicken even more. "Come," I tell her.

Katniss gives me a grin and shakes her head. "I'm enjoying this too much."

Now she is truly awake.

I can feel my own release approaching so I quicken my thrusts and reach forward to touch the spot that I know will bring her to the edge.

I feel her tightened around me and she is crying out my name in both anger and pleasure. I let myself fall with her and I repeat her name like a chant.

"That wasn't fair," she says gasping for breath and I grin mischievously.

Her hair is matted to her face and her grey eyes are glowing in the aftermath of her climax. She is trying not to smile back at me.

"You look beautiful," I tell her.

"You look like shit," she replies jokingly. I pull her closer and tickle her. "Now make me breakfast."

"Okay," I reply. "But only because I know you can't cook."

Katniss growls and pushes me on my back. Then her lips meet mine. Before I can respond, she moves over me and out of the bed so that she can put a shirt on. I admire her backside before she turns to look at me.

"Well come on then, I didn't marry you for nothing."

So this is married life? I find it unnervingly comfortable.

++++++

"Peeta!" I feel myself get lifted off the ground and then thrown back onto my feet. "I haven't seen you in a week!"

"Hey Finnick," I greet my friend as I go to the front desk. He gives me a bright smile and follows me. "I've been celebrating my marriage. Here's your morning schedule." I hand him a clipboard and he looks over it. He runs a hand through his golden hair and a woman on a nearby bench-press whistles.

He winks at her. Finnick puts down the board and then looks at me.

"So I heard that my wife saw your wife's vagina."

"Why did she tell you that?" I ask him. "I should report her." Finnick laughs because he knows I won't say anything about Annie. She's like the big sister I never had.

I met Finnick, a year ago, after Wheaton hired him as a personal trainer. Since we've hired him, our personal training business has doubled. My brother may not know anything about having actual relationships with people but his business savvy is on point. Women flock to our gym to train with Finnick but I've never seen a man so in love as he is with Annie.

"Just some husband and wife pillow talk," he replies. "How come I've never met your bride? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend."

"We were keeping it a secret for awhile now," I tell him. "You know, being together and engaged."

"Maybe you were keeping her from me," he says teasingly. "Afraid that I would steal her from you?"

"No, I was afraid she would've run when she saw your ugly mug," I retort.

"So how was your wedding night?" I shuffle papers to avoid his gaze and I try to not think of Katniss climaxing. "You give her the Peeta special?"

"What the hell is that?"

"You know," Finnick says. "Your signature move. Like my move, I like to stand up while Annie is laying on the bed and then I raise her left leg slightly and—"

"I don't need to hear this." My face is burning. "I don't think Annie would want you to tell me all of this."

"It's the move that's going to get her pregnant, Peeta," he tells me. "It has to be."

Finnick and Annie have been trying for a year now from what he tells me. They have done everything except for IVF treatments and considering a surrogate mother. I can tell that this is something that worries him because his green eyes are suddenly serious. Annie had a miscarriage before they moved here and it put a real damper on their spirits.

"I'm sure it will be," I assure him. "You will meet Katniss in an hour. She's just meeting with her counselors."

"Yoo-hoo! Finnick darling!" We look over to where Mrs. Zuckerberg, his first client, is waiting and she is gazing at him lasciviously. He sighs.

I guess sometimes it's not so fun to be desired.

"I love my job, I love my job…" he says as he walks away.

I spend the rest of the time handing out schedules to the other trainers. I also make sure that we have enough towels for the days. I consider texting Katniss to tell her that I miss her but stop myself. I'm going to see her soon. Why was I acting like some lovesick fool?

I don't love her in that way.

Then my mind flashes through images of Katniss. Her in her wedding dress, her in the light of the church, her sitting in my car as she plays with her braid…

I feel someone blow gently into my ear and then whip around quickly. Katniss is behind me grinning. "You're early!"

"Yeah, someone canceled their appointment so I got to go in earlier," she replies and joins me at the front desk. "Headed over so we could maybe grab some lunch."

"Ohmigod, who is this beautiful senorita?" Finnick saunters over. "Finnick Odair, my lovely."

"Katniss Ev—oh I mean—Mellark," she says and holds out her hand. Finnick kisses her hand.

"Yes, I see that my reputation precedes me."

"No, my husband was worried that your wife saw my vagina before he did." She grins at me and I glare at her. "Totally pure, this one."

"Pure?" I reach for her waist and then lift her easily over my shoulder. A couple of the patrons of the gym grin at me.

"Five minutes," Finnick informs me. I nod and turn so he could talk to Katniss. "I don't think you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"Oh I think I know exactly what I'm doing," she replies and I could tell that she is grinning. "See you in five."

Finnick salutes her and I walk towards the back room where our supply closet is. When we are inside, I settle her on her feet. Katniss sits on a pile of towels and then smiles up at me. "Hi."

"Hi." I sit next to her. "How was your session?"

"Well, the counselor said that my teachers understood and they agreed to let me take my midterm and then I can continue if I'd like."

"Sounds great," I tell her. "And how about down there?" I point to her lower body.

We had another morning interlude which included using the green tie that she liked so much. I grin in remembrance.

"I'm not made of glass, Peeta,"she tells me. "I'm okay." She looks over at me. "I liked it. Actually more than liked it."

I look over at her and she looks down at her folded hands. I lift her chin so I can look into her eyes. They are full of shyness yet there is also want. My lips find hers and I feel her press into me. When we are finished, our foreheads are pressed together.

"So the prenup says twice a week at minimum," I tell her. "Safe to say that we will probably go over this, many times. Is this okay with you?"

"Surprisingly yes," she tells me. Katniss leans back into the shelves. "It can get complicated quickly though." She traces my lips with her fingers than runs a hand through my hair. I close my eyes. Her touch soothes me.

"We know our limits." I pull her up so she is standing before me. "You tell me to stop than I will stop." I unbutton her shirt. "You tell me to do you in this supply room than I'll do that too."

Katniss grins. "I didn't say anything about that."

"You called me pure in front of Finnick," I say to her. "He's going to bug me this whole week now."

"So this is all about Finnick then?"

I shake my head. "Of course not." I put my hands on each of her shoulders and moved them up her neck then I cup her face. "I don't know what's going on with me but when you're not with me Katniss…"

She reaches up to touch my face and her grey eyes look into mine imploringly. "What?"

"I miss you." It comes out in whisper because I know that I will freak her out. Her eyes widen. "When you're gone, I miss you."

"You crazy boy," she says quietly. "You never think before you say things sometimes. It sounds like you're in love with me or something."

"We don't fall in love Katniss," I tell her. "We love, we make love but we don't fall in love."

Katniss breathes in for a moment as she exhales she looks up at me. "Well we wouldn't want Finnick to keep teasing you." She sits back against the pile of towels. "Come here Peeta."

Four minutes and twenty two seconds later, we emerge from the back room. Finnick stands on the front desk and begins to applaud much to our embarrassment.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Peeta Mellark!" Katniss buries her face in my chest.

"I'm going to kill you," I tell Finnick.

"Or we're going to convince Annie to leave you." Katniss glares at him and he blows her a kiss.

"You can do that this weekend when we all have dinner," he tells us. "We finally have everything moved in. Bring your sister."

Katniss looks at me. "What do you think?" Then she looks at Finnick. "There's not going to be a sex swing or something, is there?"

"Please," Finnick says. "The swing is being delivered next week." He smiles at Katniss and puts an arm around her. "Say yes."

"We'll be there," I tell him. "Now stop touching my wife."

Katniss looks at me bewildered and I realize that I sound jealous.

But I'm not.

Am I?

++++++

"So where did you meet Peeta?"

"At school," Katniss replies.

"No!" Haymitch hisses at her quietly. "Remember he brought you a cake when Prim was born!"

"Will you stop getting so pissed off at me?" Katniss stands up and goes to where he is sitting. "Stop jumping on me like I'm doing this on purpose."

Haymitch stands up and he is at least a full head taller than Katniss. "You don't realize that if you get caught than it's not only your ass, it's my ass, it's Peeta ass and it's Prim's ass that gets in trouble."

"I am trying but stop putting so much pressure on me," she tells him.

I approach them. "We all have to be on the same side here." I take Katniss's hand. "Now let's calm down." Prim and Effie were in her room having her weekly interview. They went over her week and how she was doing. Effie seems to avoid Haymitch's company at all costs and depending on his mood he is either happy or unhappy about it.

Haymitch looks down at Katniss. "You've got as much charm as a dead slug."

I put an arm around my fuming wife. "That's why I love her." I kiss the side of her head.

"You see?" Haymitch says to her. "That's how you convince Snow."

Katniss bristles at his tone. We are interrupted by Prim and Effie. "How is everything going here?" Effie gives us a cheerful smile though when she looks at Haymitch, her eyes harden.

"We're about to take a trip out," Haymitch said.

"What?" Katniss says.

"Put on a jacket and let's get the hell out of here," he says. "We all need some fresh air."

Katniss grabs her jacket and hands Prim her own from the coat rack. I have a hooded sweater on so I'll be fine.

"Peeta, can I drive your car?" Haymitch asks and I toss him the keys despite the glare I receive from Katniss. Haymitch may be certifiably insane but there something in me that trusts him despite his behavior toward Katniss. He turns to Effie. "You're coming too sweetheart. You work too hard."

Effie nods and I can see the happiness on her face. Those two have some kind of freaky relationship going on.

We all hop into my Chevy. I get into the passenger's seat while Katniss, Effie and Prim squeeze into the back. Haymitch whistles as he turns the engine on.

"Nice ride, kid," he comments and we set off to an unknown destination.

We get onto Park Presidio and continue onto the road that will take us towards the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun is just setting and it is hitting the bridge making it glow a deep red. Prim looks out the window gazing up as we pass under the arches.

Effie remains quiet but her face is relaxed and for a second under all the makeup, I can see a pretty woman.

"She doesn't need all the paint," Haymitch says quietly so only I can hear. "Daddy use to call her ugly everyday till he up and left. I see what you see kid." He turns to look at me. "Just like you see something in your little wifey that I don't."

When we pass the bridge and are in Marin, we take a sharp right onto Vista Point. It's a weekday so there are no tour buses blocking the view to the city. We park and Haymitch gets out of the car opening the backdoor so he can help Effie. I open the door for Katniss and Prim. We all approach the stone fence so that we can look out at the view of San Francisco.

"Be careful, Prim," Katniss says when Prim goes to sit on the stone fence which is thick enough for her to sit on.

I look over to where Haymitch and Effie are standing. They are both looking out. I can see that if they move an inch closer than their shoulders will touch.

I go to Katniss and throw my arm over her shoulder. She leans against me. "Sometimes it hard to believe that we live in that city," I say to her. "We're just two small beings in that metropolis."

"You're not so small to me," she tells me. Katniss wraps her arms around my waist and presses her face to my chest. "To me, you're a giant."

I kiss the top of her head. Haymitch approaches us and he looks out at the city.

"Now Katniss," he begins. "How did you meet Peeta?"

She looks up at me and smiles. "My mom had just come back from the hospital with Prim when the doorbell rang. My dad allowed me to open the door and I saw a boy with the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen. He had brought me a cake to celebrate my sister. We ate our slices together. I felt happy. I felt safe. Since then, I knew that he would take care of me."

"Now that is an answer that will convince Snow," he tells her. "Good job sweetheart."

++++++

I am at the gym when I get the call.

"Peeta?" The small voice says from my cell phone.

"Prim, are you okay?"

"Can you pick me up from school?"

"Sure," I tell her. "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes." Prim doesn't elaborate on what's going on before she hangs up.

I call Katniss to tell her what's going on but she doesn't answer her cellphone. She's probably in class and SF State has horrible phone reception. I leave a quick message saying that I'm picking up Prim and to call me when she can.

Finnick has no problem taking over for the day and I thank him as I rush out the door. I take Great Highway since it's the fastest way to Lowell where Prim goes. It doesn't take me long to find the front entrance and I head to the office. I find Prim sitting in one of the office chairs looking at her hands.

"Prim," I greet her. "Are you okay?"

She nods and I notice that she's in her gym clothes. "You need to sign me out," she tells me.

I go to the office aide. "Hi, I'm Peeta Mellark, Prim's brother. I need to sign her out," I tell her.

She checks her computer. "I don't see your name here. I only see Katniss Everdeen."

"She's my wife," I respond. Quickly I pull out my wallet and take out a photo of Katniss and me on our wedding day. "I have her phone number."

"Please, can you just let us go?" Prim begs and the woman looks at her for a moment. "I can tell my sister to call the office. She's in school right now."

"Well okay Prim but make sure your sister calls when you get in touch with her," the woman says to Prim kindly. "Feel better dear."

Prim nods and walks out. I follow after getting a sympathetic look from the woman.

I let Prim get into the car and then get into the driver's side. "What's going on Prim?"

She shakes her head. "I'm so humiliated."

"It can't be that bad," I tell her and give her a small smile.

"You wouldn't understand."

"You will have to explain what's going on before you can tell me that I won't understand," I tell her.

She mumbles incoherently.

"Prim…"

"I got my period," Prim says slowly. "In gym class."

Now I understand the clothes. But now I have bigger issues.

I've grown up with boys. I am one. My mother doesn't seem like the kind of person who has periods. I'm cringing just thinking about. What do I say?

"Wow," I say after a moment. "That sucks."

"You think?"

"Do you have any questions?" I ask.

She looks at me incredulously. "Do you know anything about periods?" Prim scowls and I see the resemblance between her and Katniss.

"No, but there must be some way I can help," I tell her. "You have all your supplies?" I dig through my mind and pull up images of feminine products.

"Supplies?" Prim is raising her eyebrows at me.

"Never mind. " I shake my head. "Let's get something to eat."

I take her to Mel's Drive-In on Geary because I figure that nothing is as bad when you have a chocolate milkshake, right?

She is eating her burger when she decides to talk. "I'm the last girl in my class to get it."

"How do you know that?" I take a bite of my chicken sandwich.

"Well, I'm a stick for one," she says to me. "All the girls talk about having their periods and the cramps but not me. Finally when I get mine, it has to be in the most dramatic way possible."

"How was it dramatic?"

"It happened while I was bending forward in gym class. Rory was behind me and one of his friends was making fun of us." Her cheeks darken.

"I think it's better that it happened later." I take a sip of my shake and she looks at me curiously.

"How so?"

"Well now you have more people to advise you," I respond. "Also, growing up is not all it's cracked up to be."

"Why not?" Prim asks me. "I want to grow up. I want to become a woman and I want to have a boy kiss me."

"Trust me Prim," I assure her. "You will become a beautiful woman. Today is just day one so give yourself time for the rest to come along. A first kiss is not as important as your last one."

"What do you mean your last one?"

"Well after you've kissed all the losers you could kiss, you find a person who you want to kiss for the rest of your life," I tell her and an image of Katniss comes into my mind.

"Like you and Katniss?"

"Exactly. Like me and Katniss." I hate lying.

"It's not fair though," she tells me. "You've always known. I could tell it was the same with Katniss." I look up from my sandwich in surprise. "The electricity between you two. You could supply the whole city."

I smile at my sister. "You exaggerate."

"I see the way you look at each other," Prim says. "I see the way that my sister looks at you when you're not looking."

Interesting. "How?"

"Like she's just discovered she's in love with you."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "Really?"

She nods.

"Prim, one day there is going to be a boy who is as in love with you as I am with your sister. I promise."

Something in me believes in the lie.

Prim smiles and takes a sip of her shake. "Thanks big brother." She places the glass down. "So what do you mean supplies?"

"You know those paper things that you put there," I tell her.

She laughs and it sound eerily like Katniss's laugh. "I was just messing with you."

"Sometimes you are just like your sister."

++++++

"So Prim got her period." Katniss says as she sits at the foot of our bed. She is dressed in one of my long shirts. It didn't take us long to get back to comfortable clothing despite the massive amounts of negligee that her friends had bought her for her trousseau. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with that."

"Well, we had a nice talk," I reply and hand her a hair tie. She puts her hair up in a topknot. "Prepares me for the next time."

"Next time?"

"Well one day she will need advice again." I kneel before her and hand her the lotion that I was using so she can use it. "When she gets her heart broken or she discovers that boys are jerks or some other teenage issue."

"And why would she ask you and not me?" Katniss puts her hands on her hips. "I'm not that old that I can't relate to her."

"You were always a grown-up Katniss." I kiss her knees as I push them apart. "Even when we were kids."

"Just call me Grandma Katniss." She grins down at me and I run my hand up her thigh.

"Oh you're no Grandma." I kiss the inside of her thighs. Katniss sighs and lets herself fall back against the bed.

A knock on the door interrupts us. "Hold that thought," she tells me and then goes to answer the door. I sit on the edge of the bed trying to calm my raging erection.

Prim is standing at the doorway and she smiles at us. "I was wondering if I could invite Rory when we go to your friend's place." She looks down at her entwined hands. "I just don't want to be the odd one out."

My wife tilts her head and looks at her sister for a moment. "Is that the only reason you're inviting Rory?" Katniss asks her.

Prim shakes her head no. Crimson floods her cheeks.

Katniss and I look at one another. "Okay, but I'll be watching him," I tell her. Prim claps her hands and then hugs me then kisses Katniss before she rushes out the door.

Katniss closes the door and turns the lock. "Now where were we?" She sits back on the edge of the bed and I eagerly kneel before her.

"I think…" I push her knees apart. "…we were…" I lean down and kiss her thighs. "…right about…" Her back is on the bed and my lips are going further up until I reach my goal. "…here."

"Safe to say," she tells me, her voice tight with pleasure. "We definitely need to revise the prenup."

000000

I think I was expecting to see a mini-Gale when I met Rory but the gangly kid who blushed harder than Prim was the complete opposite. I remember Gale in high school. He had a four more feet and twenty more pounds on me. We were never super close because he always saw me as competition for Katniss.

At the time, my mind was other girls so I never understood his glares whenever he was around.

"Thanks for letting me come along," he says when we are in front of Annie and Finnick's house. Prim takes his hand and I can't help but let a small smile creep on my face.

They own the top floor of a duplex in Potrero Hill. The neighborhood is mostly quiet except for the pizza place at the corner.

"We're happy to have you come along," I tell him. "Prim wouldn't come without you."

"Peeta!" She looks at me embarrassed then she looks at Rory. "Sorry, my brother can exaggerate sometimes."

Katniss looks over at me and I shrug before putting an arm around her. I ring the doorbell and we wait until I hear the heavy footsteps of Finnick. He throws open the door and pulls Katniss into a big hug.

Usually I would be fine with this.

Except that he has no shirt on.

"For chrissakes, Finnick," Katniss says when he pulls away. "Put a damn shirt on!"

"Why? Do you find this...distracting?"

He flexes his arm for her and she can't help but laugh at his antics. I am trying not to laugh either. When I look behind us, I see the Prim's eyes are as big as saucers and Rory is looking down.

"Finnick, this is Prim and this is Rory." I gesture over to the two teenagers. They both shake hands with him and I notice Prim admiring Finnick's handsome face. Poor Rory.

"Come on up, Annie is getting dinner started."

We follow him up the stairs admiring their home. The walls are a rich gold and there are vintage posters on the walls. When we reach the top of the stairs, the living room is to the left where a plush beige couch is placed across from a large flatscreen television and to the right is the dining room which holds a beautiful walnut dining table with matching chairs.

Annie comes in with a big smile and puts her arm around his waist. She is wearing a pretty red dress and her hair is down. She and Finnick are a striking couple.

"Nice to see you Peeta," she says as she hugs me. Then she hugs Katniss. "Nice to see you too Katniss."

"Annie, this is my sister Prim and her friend Rory," Katniss tells her.

She shakes their hands. "Please make yourself at home. We have the television if you want to watch anything and some DVD's. Also we have a PlayStation. Dinner won't be ready for another hour. I thought it would be nice to eat outside."

"Thanks for having us, Annie," Katniss says as we look around. "Pretty nice digs."

"I come from an old San Francisco family so I get a little bit of a hookup." She leads us into the living room. "Heard of the Aliotos?"

"Like the seafood restaurant on the Wharf?" Katniss goes to an old picture of fishermen on a side table. "You're related to them?"

"On my mother's side." Annie gestures to the couch and loveseat. "Please sit."

Katniss and I sit on the couch while Prim and Rory take the loveseat. Annie sits on the edge of the couch with Finnick standing next to her.

"Which one of you plays the guitar?" Rory asks. The guitar sits in the corner of the living room.

"I played a little," Annie says shyly.

"May I?" Rory asks and she agrees.

Rory retrieves the guitar and sits back down next to Prim. She is looking at him curiously. He looks over at Katniss.

"Help me out, won't you Katniss?" She nods after a moment. My interest is peaked. I haven't heard Katniss sing since we were children.

Rory's fingers strum the guitar effortlessly. I can see that Prim is mesmerized for her eyes are focused on his fingers and our eyes meet quickly. She ducks her head at my teasing grin.

That is until Katniss starts to sing. Then I am captivated.

_God, I feel like hell tonight  
Tears of rage I cannot fight  
I'd be the last to help you understand  
Are you strong enough to be my man?_

_Nothing's true and nothing's right  
So let me be alone tonight  
Cause you can't change the way I am  
Are you strong enough to be my man?_

Finnick goes to me. "Your girl has some pipes." He pats by shoulder. I look over at Prim and her eyes are focused on Rory as he plays and harmonizes with Katniss. She is falling for him.

_Lie to me  
I promise I'll believe  
Lie to me  
But please don't leave…_

I watch Katniss sings. Her eyes are closed but then she turns and focuses them on me. Her grey eyes are dancing and besides our wedding, I don't think that I've ever seen her so beautiful. Or so alive.

For a moment, I think that I might be in love with my wife.

The song ends and Finnick claps heartily. "We've got a lot of talent here!" He turns to Prim. "How about you doll? Do you sing too?"

"She's a beautiful dancer and Prim is a genius," Rory informs him as he looks at Prim adoringly. She is gazing at him. There is something different in her eyes.

"So I guess you're the only one with no talent then?" Finnick teases me.

"Peeta is an artist, I've seen his paintings. They're brilliant," my wife says defensively. "Not to mention he can carry hundred pound bags of flour."

"How would you know Katniss?" Annie asks her curiously and Katniss takes a sudden interest in her hands.

"I use to watch him on Saturday mornings when his family lived across the street from us," she mumbles. "Whenever the delivery came in."

Prim giggles. "So that's what you were doing! You'd never let me watch cartoons in the living room on Saturday!" Finnick and Annie smile while Rory and Prim laugh.

"Quit embarrassing my wife," I tell them and then kiss her on the cheek. "It's really flattering actually." I try to assure her because it is actually kind of nice to hear.

"I think it's time for dinner," Annie says standing up and she kisses Finnick on the cheek. "You should put a shirt on. It might be chilly out on the deck."

"So he actually walks around like that?" I ask her.

"No." Annie gives me an easy smile.

"Thank God."

"Most of the time, he's naked." She grins and Finnick winks at her. The teenagers in the loveseat are both red.

"What kind of friends do we have?" Katniss asks me.

I simply kiss her cheek.

++++++

Annie has roasted a chicken and I help her carry it to the deck. Finnick and Katniss are lighting candles while Rory and Prim set the table.

"Let me get that for you babe," Finnick says rushing to Annie who is holding a bowl of potato salad. "You work too hard; you should be off your feet." I meet my wife's eyes and she smiles as she watches Finnick's sweet display of affection. He is always so cavalier except when it comes to Annie.

We all take our seats and settle in for dinner. It's warm tonight and only the sounds are the cars on the freeway in the distance. Everyone is enjoying dinner and I look across to where Prim and Rory are talking about the geometry test that they had. Prim has Rory wrapped around her finger.

I look at Katniss who is listening to Annie talk about how she is opening another clinic in this neighborhood.

"Well aren't you happy working in the clinic that you're in now?"

"It will be an easier commute for me," she says and pauses. "Since I'm having a baby."

We all go silent.

"You're having a baby?" Katniss asks and Annie nods grinning. Finnick puts his hand over hers.

"Congratulations!" I tell them and kiss Annie on the cheek.

"We'd like you to be the Godparents," Finnick says. "You help me get my start here in San Francisco and well Annie knows Katniss pretty intimately since that appointment." Annie swats him on the arm.

The rest of the dinner we spend talking about baby names though Finnick is set on having a Finnick Junior. We have rocky road ice cream from Mitchell's for dessert. Later, Katniss leans against me as Rory strums on the guitar for Prim. Finnick dances with Annie around the deck.

"Are you happy?" I whisper into Katniss's ear and press my nose into her hair. She seems content with my arms wrapped around her.

I'm confused about what I'm feeling but at the same time I feel like there is no need for me to rush. I should let whatever happens just happen. It was always our way. We never thought about the effects our decisions would have.

Now it seemed that we had more to lose by thinking.

"Yes," she replies so softly that I almost don't hear her.

"Do you love me?"

Katniss stills for a moment. "Yes, but sometimes I'm not sure what kind of love it is."

"I understand."

That is as far as we go.

Before long, we are leaving Finnick and Annie's house and cruising on the 101 towards the 280 Freeway so we can make the exit towards Rory's house. He lives in the Sunset so there is no easy way to get there. I take a bunch of side streets and finally make it onto Ocean Avenue. I cut across 19th Avenue and turn onto a street when Rory tells me to.

"I'll walk you to the door," Prim tells him as we stop in front of the Hawthorne home.

"Thanks for the invite," Rory says when he gets out of the car. "It was fun."

"Nice seeing you Rory," I reply.

We watch as Rory and Prim walk to his door hand in hand.

"We probably shouldn't look at them," I tell Katniss.

"Why?"

"Do you want to see your sister's possible first kiss?"

Katniss shakes her head and turns to me. "Should I have a talk with her?"

"She's a good kid," I assure her.

A black car pulls into the driveway and after the person has parked, we see a familiar figure emerge from the car.

Katniss peers at the figure and then gasps in recognition. "Oh crap."

I feel my heart sink when I see him approach my Chevy.

Gale is back.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would have had this done sooner but I have been sick as a dog for the past week. It's no fun to write and then get tired enough to pass out.

Did you spot the two lines from the book?

Songs:

"Kiss Me" sung by Ed Sheeran

"Strong Enough" sung by Sheryl Crow

Finnick has made an appearance! I know some of you were anticipating this. Thank you to all of you who suggested that he work with Peeta.

Do you see something happening with Haymitch and Effie? We'll go more into that later.

Mel's Drive-In used to be one of those 50's restaurants where you drive up and then they put the tray on your car. I think it's the one that Spencer Tracy goes to in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".

Vista Point is in Marin and it's a real tourist spot if you want to check out the bridge.

Potrero Hill however is not since it is close to Hunter's Point. It is more office buildings and neighborhoods. The Culinary Academy, Zynga Headquarters and Sega Headquarters are located in Potrero. I use to go there all the time since my husband used to work for Zynga.

Mitchell's Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor in the Mission and I love their Rocky Road. They also have Mango Ice Cream and Ube, which is a Filipino flavor.

The Great Highway runs along the beach and I believe the fastest way to get to Lowell High School. 101 and 280 are the main freeways here. Ocean Avenue is a street that runs from the Excelsior District towards the Sunset District. 19th Avenue starts from the border of Daly City and San Francisco until the entrance of Golden Gate Park.

Confused yet? Trust me; it's easier than you think.

I really love the idea of exploring Prim more as someone suggested that stories tend to make her more static. It should make for good fun as she gets older.

Gale's back. Are you excited? I'm not and neither is Peeta.

Someone ask me why I stop showing the same events from each of their perspectives. I only wanted to do this until the actual marriage and then we kind of switch it up to move the story along.

NEXT: Katniss's POV and Gale's return. Dinner at the Mellarks and we meet Carrie.

Hopefully I get better soon or it might take longer for me to get the next chapter out.

Reviews mean love! Alerts and PM's are always welcome!

-JLaLa


	8. Katniss

Thanks for all the support!

Author's Notes are the end.

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. I just like to mess with them.

I can tell they're looking at us  
I pick you up everyday from your job  
And every guy in the parking lot wants to rob me of my girl  
And my heart and soul, and everybody wants to treat me so cold  
But I know I love you and you love me  
There's no other lover for you or me  
You're my lady…

-D'Angelo (Lady)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Seven: Katniss

My mouth goes dry. It's so like Gale to ruin a good night for me. Like our one time fling wasn't enough.

He leans down so he can look into the car and gives me a crooked grin. "Hey Catnip."

I smile weakly and I don't even want to see Peeta's expression right now. Guessing by the grip he has on my hand, it's not a positive one.

"Hey Gale," I reply. "What's going on?"

"I just finished my mid-terms so I thought I'd come back for my break," he informs me. "One of my friends took the flight down with me since her friends live in Daly City." Gale glances over at Peeta and smiles at him. "Hey Mellark."

"Nice to see you, Gale," my husband says in a clipped tone. His jealousy is so evident that I can feel the heat coming off him. I feel the sudden heat rise in me.

I can't believe that Peeta's jealousy is turning me on. On the other hand, there are a lot of things that I didn't know turned me on until I started sleeping with Peeta.

"Thanks for saying hi to me first," Rory says from behind Gale interrupting the tense moment.

Thank God. I could almost kiss him though I don't think that Prim would appreciate that.

"Sorry Rory." Gale hugs him then hugs Prim lifting her off the ground as he does. She squeals. "You're all grown up Primmy."

"Prim," she corrects him. "I thought you were busy in D.C. I mean you didn't even make it to the wedding."

"What wedding?"

Prim steps back knowing she made a mistake. She should step back. I can feel the blood draining from my face. I love my sister but she can have the biggest mouth.

"My wedding," I finally say and then I look at Peeta who is expressionless. That's never a good sign. "I mean OUR wedding."

I hold up my left hand to show Gale my rings.

His expression remains neutral though I can see surprise in his eyes. "Congratulations Catnip. You too Mellark."

"He's not the only Mellark in the car," I tell Gale tersely. "We have to go. Prim has school tomorrow."

Gale nods and then takes my hand suddenly. "Can I call you? There's something that I want to talk to you about."

"You have my cell number Gale," I reply. "It's the same number since I was sixteen. Prim, get in."

Prim opens the door and gets into the backseat quickly.

"I'll call you later Catnip," he says and then nods at Peeta. "See you later."

Peeta nods back and I wave before we drive off. The ride home is quiet and tense.

"I really sorry you guys," Prim says after a few minutes. "I didn't mean to open my big mouth."

Peeta looks in the rearview mirror and I can see his eyes soften. "It wasn't your fault. We were all caught by surprise." He looks at me. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "I'm fine." I turn on the radio and put my head on his shoulder. "You didn't say anything about me touching your radio."

"It's ours now," he whispers in my ear.

I kiss his shoulder and then put my head back against it. The rest of the ride is quiet with only the voice of Marvin Gaye in the car.

++++++

We are brushing our teeth when my cell phone rings. Peeta glances at my phone where the words 'Gale' taunt him on the screen. He meets my eyes in the mirror.

He spits first into the sink. "Are you going to answer that?" Peeta asks me quietly.

I spit into the sink then rinse my mouth. I grab my phone and then give him a smile. "I'll be right back." When I walk into the hallway, I answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey Catnip."

"Hey Gale," I say into the phone. "We were about to go to bed. What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry I didn't go to the funeral. My mom called me after your mom's accident," he explains. "I couldn't get a flight out. You see, we don't have a lot of money and flying out here right now was difficult enough."

"It's fine, Gale," I reply and lean against the hallway wall. I wonder briefly if Peeta is listening. "A phone call would have sufficed."

"I know," Gale says apologetically. "I was being a dick. Can I see you tomorrow for coffee?"

"I'll be in class tomorrow." Peeta walks out quietly and goes into our room. Our eyes follow one another.

"I'll meet you at State," he pleads. "I just need to see you. We need to catch up. You got married, Katniss and you didn't even tell me. I'm supposed to be your best friend."

My body hums with anger. Some friend. He didn't even call when my Mom died.

I take a deep breath before answering him.

"I married my best friend," I say. "I will see you tomorrow at noon."

I hang up and sigh. Typical Gale. He always thinks that he can fit himself into my life whenever he wants. When it's not the way he wants, he gets angry or takes off.

I walk into the room and find Peeta laying out his clothes for tomorrow. He is at the mechanic shop before he goes to class in the evening. When he glances at me, I can tell that he is upset.

"Hey," I greet him softly. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you walk out of the bathroom like that?" he asks and looks at me with frosty blue eyes. "It's like you're hiding him from me."

"I'm not trying to," I reason. "I just thought that you wouldn't want to hear me talking to him."

"I don't." Peeta walks up to me and I back myself into the door. "I just don't like to be pushed away by you. It hurts." He looks down and I reach to cup his cheek. Peeta is more sensitive than I thought.

"Look at me," I say and hold up my ring finger. "Do you see this? It means something. It's a promise to love and take care of each other. It's a promise to be a family. Like we prayed for in the chapel."

"You're not in love with me." Peeta's eyes bore into mine. "So there's no reason to stay."

I pull him to me. "You're my family now. Prim and you. I love you both," I assure Peeta. He looks at me for a moment and I can tell that his anger is dissipating. "Are you jealous?"

"Hell yes," he says suddenly and I laugh. I wrap my arms around his neck and he lifts me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. "There is always someone trying to take my girl."

I lean my forehead against his. "I'm yours Peeta."

"Say it again," Peeta tells me as he looks into my eyes. I'm aware that his hands have wandered up my thighs.

"I'm yours." The look in his eyes let me know what his intentions are and I lick my lips. He is so hot when he's jealous.

"Good." He rips my panties apart with one hand as I undo the knot on his pajama pants pushing them down quickly. I wrap my legs around his bare waist. "Now that we have that established." Peeta pushes me back against the door before he plunges into me quickly.

Our lips meet and I moan into his mouth when enters me again. For a moment, I forget about Gale and the inevitable meeting that we're going to have by surrendering to the feeling of my husband inside me.

I also silence the voice telling in my head saying that besides my body, there is something else that belongs to Peeta.

My heart.

++++++

"Catnip."

I look up from where I am sitting to see Gale looking at me bemused. I was watching the traffic on 19th Avenue as I sat next to the coffee cart in front of the campus.

"Hey Gale." He sits down nervously.

I hate that he calls me 'Catnip' sometimes. The first time I met him was the day we moved to our house. Gale was the boy next door. I was the shy only child at the time. I could barely get the words out when he asked my name so he mistakenly called me Catnip. It has stuck since then.

What he doesn't realize is that I'm not the child I was when we met. I'm not even the same girl who gave him her virginity because she was confused and drunk.

"How are you?" he asks.

"I'm fine," I respond curtly.

"Come on, talk to me," Gale says. "I know you're pissed."

I put my cup down and look at him. "Yes, I'm pissed. You're supposed to be my friend and you didn't pick up the phone to call me when my Mom died." My eyes begin to burn. "I get it. I let you have sex with me and then I didn't fall into your arms like you planned. I thought our friendship was better than that though."

He is silent for a moment and then he turns to me. "Nothing can make up for my horrible friendship skills but I really am sorry." Gale puts his hand over my free one that rests on the table. "So do you really regret sleeping together?"

I look into his grey eyes and see that they are the same as mine. They're full of regret, sadness, and angst. Our eyes are too much alike.

We are too much alike.

Then I think of Peeta's eyes and they remind me of hope. They remind me of our friendship and the sacrifices he has made for me. He is what I need. Not the pain of Gale's grey eyes but the calm blue of Peeta's.

"No," I say after a moment. "It put a lot of things in perspective, made me realize my feelings."

"And?"

"I'm not in love with you." I pull my hand away from his. "Never was."

He smiles at me. "Good, I'm not either," he replies. "When I asked you to come with me, I think it was because I was afraid of losing you. I thought that if I kept you close than you couldn't leave. I didn't realize then that I never had you in the first place."

"Then why didn't you call me?"

"I was ashamed to call you. I thought you hated me," he tells me. "I also didn't come to this realization until recently."

I find myself grinning in spite of myself. I'm relieved to see that our friendship can be salvaged though it might not be the same. "What happened recently?"

Gale smiles softly. "I fell in love."

"Gale, that's wonderful. Was it the girl that came here with you?"

He nods. "We were study partners in D.C. She's a criminal justice major like me." Gale looks over at me. "I want to introduce you but first I want to know about you and Peeta. When did this start?"

Should I tell him the truth? Besides Peeta, he is my best friend.

"About a year ago." I find myself lying instead. "I went to the prom with that loser, Marvel and I caught him leaving with Glimmer. By the way, didn't you sleep with her?"

I give him a teasing smile. "Yes, but that's not important. Let's move on," Gale says.

"Peeta danced the last dance with me." I look down at my wedding ring. "Then he kissed me and that was it."

The truth in this story was that Peeta did dance the last dance with me and there was a moment where I thought he might have wanted to kiss me.

But I pulled back.

I can still see his blue eyes asking me to make a choice or make a move. I did neither.

So he left with Clove, his girlfriend and date, while I went home to a pint of salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite.

"So one kiss changed all your theories on marriage," Gale concludes. "Do you think that it will be that way with her?"

"Who?"

"Her." Gale nods and I turn to see a medium height girl with chin length brown hair. She would be considered average if it wasn't for the wide-set pair of deep brown eyes that she has. They are surrounded by thick lashes. I like her immediately because I could see a fire in her eyes that reminds me of Gale.

"Does she know that you're that into her?" I ask him as we watch her talking to a girl who is holding a neon green flier.

"No, it hasn't been that long," he tells me. "Don't say anything. Please."

"Wow, is this really happening?" I look over at his blushing face and his shining eyes. "Gale Hawthorne is in love with-what's her name?"

"Johanna Mason."

"Why don't you come to our house for dinner this weekend?" I find myself asking. "With Johanna. Also, you need to talk to Peeta."

"Sure," he replies. "I could tell he was really excited to see me."

"I miss sarcastic Gale," I say with a smile.

Johanna approaches us tentatively. "You can come closer," Gale says. "She doesn't bite."

"Not hard anyway," I say and I hold my hand out to her. "Katniss Mellark."

She shakes it and gives me a small smile. "Johanna Mason." We all sit back down. "You guys looked like you were having a real heart to heart."

"Gale is all about the heart to heart talks," I joke.

Johanna grins. "Real emotional guy, this one." She points to Gale with her thumb. "Give him a Nicholas Spark novel and he's done for."

We laugh. "I think we just became best friends." I like Johanna. She's like a breath of fresh air. "I have to go but I hope that you can join us this weekend for dinner. You can meet my husband and sister."

"You're married?"

I take out my phone and pull a picture of Peeta and me on our wedding day from the library on it. Johanna takes my phone and looks at it. She lets out a whistle. "Though I think you're a little young, I approve. He's adorable." Gale is staring at us amused. "I'd love to come to dinner. Can I ride with you, handsome?" She looks over at Gale.

He nods eagerly.

I get up and meet Gale's eyes. I nod my approval before grabbing my books. "I'll see you this weekend then."

Johanna smiles. "Can't wait. Nice meeting you Katniss."

"You too, Johanna."

++++++

"You invited him for dinner?"

"Johanna too."

I pick at the pasta dish that I'm eating before placing my fork back down. I look out the window of the restaurant to see a dark beach. Peeta places his hand over mine and I meet his eyes from across the table.

Prim is eating at Rue's house so we decided to make a night out of it. "Peeta, he is my friend. He's been my friend as long as you've been."

"I know," he replies and runs his other hand through his hair. "I can't help but think about you and him."

"There is no me and Gale," I reply. "It was one time, Peeta." Frustration is evident in my voice.

"It was an important one time."

"Why are you so upset?" I look at his tense form and rub my thumb against his hand. "My virginity wasn't some prize to be won. " I look at him for a moment and my eyes widened. "Are you upset because I lost my virginity to him?"

He remains silent.

"Did you want it to be you?" I ask and then scowl. "I'm sorry but weren't you pretty hot and heavy with Clove at the time?" Peeta doesn't respond so I continue. "Well I apologize that you happened to not be there on that particular night. From now on, you have every night with me. You have every night for the rest of our lives!"

"No, I have every night for the next four years!" Peeta says angrily.

I realize what he just said and though I know his response is the truth; it hurts.

It hurts like hell.

I am suddenly walking away from our table, down the stairs and out of the restaurant. It is windy outside and I wrap my arms around myself. Damn him. I can hear the door behind me open and close. The heat of my husband's body warms me and he put his arms around my waist.

"I'm sorry," he whispers into my ear. "Your husband can be such a jealous prick sometimes."

I don't even realize that I'm crying until I reach instinctively to wipe my eyes. "Why don't you understand that it was a mistake?" He tightens his hold around my waist. "It felt so wrong when it happened." I turn to him and look into his eyes. "Every time with you has felt right."

Peeta doesn't say anything after I say this to him. Instead he cups my face and kisses me. Kissing Peeta is nothing like anything I've ever felt. It's like Christmas times five. I feel like I can kiss him for the rest of my life.

When our lips part, I put my head against his chest and Peeta kisses the top of my head. There is something different in his eyes when he looks at me. "I love you Katniss Mellark."

I lay my head back on his chest feeling his heart race as I hear those words. I know he loves me. He tells me all the time.

However, it's only when I look up into his eyes do I realize something.

I'm in love with my husband.

++++++

The weekend comes quicker than both of us realize. I come to two conclusions in-between then.

One, when you're in love with someone you become horribly distracted. I've almost fallen down the stairs twice in front of Peeta.

Two, make-up sex is the best. I've done that twice too.

That weekend started calmly enough. Peeta, Prim and I went to the Alemany Farmers Market to get some tomatoes for the casserole that Prim was making. When she found out that Rory was coming, she jumped at the chance to prepare the dinner.

I walked hand in hand with Peeta as he talked with different vendors about their goods. He is charming and all of the people that he speaks to are excited to hear about the bakery. Peeta hands out business card to each one and promises them a loaf on him. When they meet me, they are welcoming and some of the vendors give me hugs.

They tease me by offering baskets of vegetables that will help along with the 'baby making'. Peeta turns them down for me and says that we are waiting to start a family. I smile along but the images of blond, grey eyed babies enter my mind and I shake them away quickly. I shouldn't be thinking about this.

When we get home, Prim and Peeta get to work in the kitchen. I clean up the living room and throw away all of the old Seventeen (Prim's) and Martha Stewart Living (Peeta's) magazines into the recycling bin. I vacuum the rugs and straighten the pillows on the couch before checking in on them.

I enter the kitchen to find Prim at the counter cutting vegetables and Peeta cutting up apples for the pie at the dining table. They are both in sync in their cutting strategies and are singing loudly to a song on the radio.

Cheer up, sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean  
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?

Peeta looks up to see me and offers his hand. I take it and we whirl around the kitchen together. Prim laughs from where she stands but I can see how she stares and sighs. Prim, my hopeless romantic sister, is dreaming of a time where she will be doing the same thing. Judging by the way Rory looks at her; it won't be long until she has a boyfriend. I make a mental note to talk to her about boys.

As the time passes, Peeta becomes more despondent. By the time, it is time for Gale, Johanna, and Rory to come; he is not talking at all. Prim looks at him and our eyes meet because we know that he is lost in his own little world.

Prim goes to change. So I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. "We can still back out now," I tell him jokingly.

Peeta shakes his head. "No, we can't," he replies. "Prim would kill us." We share a laugh as I look into his eyes. Something in me jumps up and down excitedly. "You okay? There is something different about you."

"Nothing is different." Except that I'm in love with you.

The doorbell rings and Prim runs to the door. She has changed into a little denim skirt and sweater. Peeta and I look at one another. "Should we talk to her about this?" he asks as he puts an arm around me.

"Well it's not exactly my old waitress outfit so I think we're safe for now." We follow her to the door.

When she opens the door, our three guests are waiting patiently. Rory is impressed with Prim's outfit by the look in his eyes.

Maybe I should talk to her about her wardrobe.

She lets them in opening the door further. Johanna rushes over to us. "So this is the husband?"

"Peeta. My name is Peeta." He holds out his hand to her which she shakes happily.

"Oh he is even cuter in person," she tells me with a wink. "Kudos."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gale offer his hand to Peeta who takes it slowly.

"Thanks for having us," Gale says.

Peeta shrugs. "It's what Katniss wanted." Then he is off to the kitchen to check on everything.

Johanna puts an arm around me. "This is going to be awkward, isn't it?"

000000

Johanna and Prim ease the tension by force feeding everyone or monopolizing the conversation. I sit next to Peeta who is at the head of the table. He is friendly to Rory and Johanna, sweet to Prim and aloof to Gale.

Peeta meets my eyes and takes my hand squeezing it to let me know that he is okay. For a moment, I feel horrible for putting him in this situation. I don't think I would have been as calm if Clove was sitting at my table. I pull his hand so I can kiss his knuckles. We smile at one another and it is a sign that everything is okay. That we are okay. This is the most important thing in the world to me right now.

"Hey Lovebirds," Johanna calls out and we turn to look at her. "I just wanted to make sure that you guys were okay. You were having a bit of a stare down."

"They do that a lot," Prim tells everyone. "Or they do the other thing."

"What other thing?" Gale asks and folds his hands on the table.

"Yeah what other thing Prim?" I look at her and she blushes.

"Well why do you think I sometimes look like I haven't slept? You two need to turn some music on or something whenever…Katniss, these walls are paper thin and you're not exactly the quietest person." Peeta laughs and then she turns to him scowling. "You too, big brother. You curse too much."

"Poor Prim." Gale is trying not to burst. "You're missing sleep because they can't learn how to keep their mouths shut mid-coitus." Johanna throws her napkin at him.

"Shut it," she scolds him with a smile. "They're newlyweds who need to learn to be quiet or buy Prim some noise cancelling earphones."

I don't know which is worse. The fact that Johanna and Gale are discussing our bedroom matters or the fact that Prim knows that we're having sex.

"Well I have been angling for an iPod," Prim says to them. Rory is looking at her like he's never seen her before. Prim has really grown up in these past months. I've just noticed that she's begun to wear her hair in one braid instead of two. Sometimes she wears it down.

Part of me is happy because she is growing up but the other half is sad to see the little girl with the two pigtails go.

Peeta's phone suddenly rings interrupting my thoughts.

"It's my Dad." He gets up and kisses the top of my head before going into the kitchen.

"You two are the sappiest couple I've ever seen," Johanna says and I give her the finger.

"Hey now!" Gale looks at me in mock horror. "There are children at the table."

"What children?" I retort. "Prim is wearing a mini-skirt and Rory's eyes haven't focused on anything but that skirt." The two sink into their seats.

Peeta comes back in. "I have to let in a late delivery," he says. "Mom is not feeling well so Dad can't stay late. So I'm going to go over to wait for it. I won't be long."

I stand up. "I'll go with you." He smiles at me. "I don't want you to be there all alone. Prim will serve dessert, won't you?" I turn to my sister and she nods.

"Why don't we all go?" Johanna suggests. "I've been hearing about your bakery Peeta from some of my old friends in the city."

"I can just clean up," Prim says and starts gathering the plates. Rory begins to help her by grabbing the dishes on the opposite side.

"I'll help," Rory tells us. "You can go ahead."

We leave the house just as Peeta's Dad is closing the door. He waves and I rush over to hug him.

"Hello, my dear," he says fondly. "Thanks for helping us out."

"It's our family business, of course I've come to help," I tell him. His eyes shine proudly when I tell him this.

"Hey Dad," Peeta greets him as he comes up behind me. "Heading off?"

"Yeah, your Mom is not feeling great," he tells us. "Are you free tomorrow for dinner?"

"Of course," Peeta replies and I nod. "Do you want us to bring anything?"

"Just yourselves." He looks over to where Johanna and Gale are standing. "Nice to see you Gale."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Mellark," he replies. "This is Johanna Mason, a friend of mine." I can see Johanna falter but she recovers quickly to shake my father-in-law's hand.

"I'm off." He kisses me on the cheek and claps Peeta's shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

Peeta opens the door and I walk in followed by Gale and Johanna. I love the look of the bakery; it has creamy walls and wooden shelves. It's like you've just walked into an old Victorian. There are a few tables for people to sit at. The only modern aspect is the glass display. There are pictures of Peeta and his brothers as children along the walls.

I'm surprised when I come across a picture of a picture of Peeta, Prim and I at our wedding. "Did you see this?" Peeta walks over to see the picture.

He shakes his head. "My Dad must have put it up."

"Nice place, Peeta," Johanna says. "Is this your main job?"

"I wish," he tells her. "I've been into making my own recipes since I was a kid so I've always love experimenting here."

"I've been trying to convince him to go to the Culinary Academy instead of pursuing business." I pull down the blinds and put some chairs down for Gale and Johanna to sit on.

"We have a deal," Peeta says as he begins to pull shelves of the old pastries from the display trays. I get some plates and then pull two cinnamon rolls for Gale and Johanna. My husband kisses my neck quickly when I pass him. "My darling wife thinks that I am wasting my time in the business world. It is only one semester however."

I hand them their dishes.

"No wonder, she wants you to quit," Johanna says after she eats some of her roll. "I think I just had an orgasm eating this."

Gale almost chokes and I whack him on the back.

"Thanks," he says and gives me a grateful smile.

When I look I see that Peeta is looking at us with a sullen expression. Someone knocks on the front door and he goes to open it. When he is outside, I hit Gale on the arm.

"Please talk to him," I urge my friend.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any problems," Gale says. He gets up and goes outside.

"Peeta is still hurting over you losing your virginity to Gale?"

I look at Johanna. "He told you?"

She takes a bite of his roll. "Gale can't keep a secret from me."

Except that he is in love with her.

Johanna gets up and pulls me up along. "We should go out there."

I follow her and we walk outside to see that Peeta is signing off on a flour shipment. The deliveryman is taking a pulley with crate of flour bags out from the back of the truck. Gale is standing there with his hands in his pockets. I mouthed for him to talk to Peeta who is counting the bags of flour.

Peeta begins to unload a flour bag to put against the door. Gale suddenly grabs one and puts it over his shoulder.

Peeta glares. "What are you doing?"

Gale places the bag he has down on top of the other one. "I'm trying to help you."

My husband lifts another bag and then throws it at Gale—HARD. Thank goodness, he caught it in time but now he's pissed.

"What was that for?" Gale approaches Peeta.

"You wanted to help, didn't you?" Peeta says and they are chest to chest.

"I'm not trying to fight with you but don't push me," Gale warns.

Instead of letting it go, Peeta pushes him. Then Gale is pushing him back.

Before I can even get a word out, they are on the ground wrestling each other. While Gale is bigger than Peeta, he is not as quick as Peeta who was on the wrestling team in high school.

I approach them but Johanna stops me. "Don't. Let them get it out."

We observe the two for a couple of minutes and it is hypnotizing watching them in this dance-fight. Peeta manages to grab Gale by the waist and knocks him to the ground. Gale responds by grabbing onto Peeta's leg and trying to twist it. There is no conversation just two grown men grunting and letting out an occasional yell whenever it gets to be too much.

I wonder briefly what the neighbors are thinking.

Gale has Peeta in a headlock. "Why are you so angry at me? It was years ago."

"It's none of your business," Peeta says as he punches him in the gut. Gale stumbles and Peeta head-butts him in the stomach. "I just don't like it."

"Okay," Gale replies as he twist Peeta's arm. "I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with Johanna."

Peeta steps back. "You are?"

Johanna tries to approach them but I stop her this time. "I have to hear this."

Gale and Peeta sit on the step in front of the bakery, panting. "We made a mistake. She was vulnerable when it happened and I loved her but not in the way I thought I did. I asked her to come with me because I was scared of losing her. Good thing, she said no."

"You didn't deserve her," Peeta says.

"You don't deserve her," Gale replies.

"I'll spend the rest of my life trying to," my husband tells him. My heart is racing at his words.

"I'm starving," Gale says suddenly.

Peeta lights up. "I have this new pie that I made in the bakery. We can eat it after we're done here."

Gale holds his hand out and Peeta shakes it.

Then they are back to work bringing in the bags of flour.

"What the hell just happened?" I ask Johanna. She is beaming as she looks at Gale.

"A man's heart to heart," she replies. "I know about this. Lived with boys my whole life." Her eyes are faraway for a moment. She shakes her head and puts an arm around my shoulders. "Let's go back inside. You'll just hurt yourself trying to think about it."

++++++

The next night was dinner at the Mellarks. It's not far from us but the change in neighborhood is definitely different. They live in Seacliff which is right next to the Presidio. All of the houses in Seacliff have a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and private use of the beach below the neighborhood. The Mellarks moved to this home a few years ago but continued to use the bakery's address so that Peeta could go to school with me.

"Do I look okay?" I ask Peeta. I'm wearing a grey pencil skirt and yellow top.

Peeta looks at me and then kisses the top of my head. "You are beautiful." My insides are humming. Prim is looking up at the house in front of us. It is gated and so Peeta punches in the code to open the gate letting Prim walk through first.

I stop him before he can enter. "Hey." He turns to me with concern in his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday."

Peeta and Gale have reached a sort of truce. After they were finished bringing in the bags of flour, they sat at the table chatting away as they ate Peeta's raspberry lemon pie. It was as if they had not been wrestling each other just an hour before then.

I will never understand boys.

"I'm fine," he tells me and I touch the cut on his lip. Gale is sporting a similar cut on his brow.

My mouth finds its way to the cut and I kiss it softly before I push him gently against the gate's pillar. Peeta pulls me closer and I cover his lips with my own. I tell him how I feel with my kisses because my heart can't take the chance of being rejected.

Peeta grabs my hair gently so he can deepen our kiss. He pulls away and look into my eyes.

"How long is this dinner again?" I ask.

"I can give you a tour of the house," he suggests as he pulls me close again.

I meet his lips again to seal the deal.

A cough interrupts us. I turn to see Wheaton and a small, dark haired woman. She is petite with big brown eyes. The glint on her finger is a large diamond ring that rests on her small hand. I realize that this is Wheaton's wife, Carrie.

She is nothing like I imagined her.

"Hey guys," Peeta greets them and shakes his brother's hand. He kisses Carrie on the cheek and then pulls me over to her. "Carrie, this is my wife Katniss."

"Hello," she greets me with a warm smile and then a hug. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry that I didn't get to attend your wedding. I was out of town on business."

Wheaton and Peeta walk ahead while I walk along with Carrie into the house. I always thought that Wheaton's wives where the same, that they were all interchangeable. Carrie, however, is not like Wheaton's first wife who was tall, blonde, and a bitch. She is also not like his second wife who was dumber than a post.

"I'm sorry but I don't recall hearing anything about you," I tell her honestly. Carrie smiles at me and I realize that she is very pretty when she smiles. It doesn't seem like she does often especially since she's married to Wheaton who is never happy.

"I'm a bit new," she tells me. "We were only seeing each other for two weeks when we decided to get married."

"Why the rush?"

"I was in love," Carrie replies and we walk into the house. I've been to the Mellark home before but this is my first time as Peeta's wife.

"And Wheaton?"

Carrie shakes her head. "He wanted to become partners with my father. We run a very big chain of ethnic breads with our specialties being from the Philippines where my family is from." She looks over at her husband. "Well he got what he wanted."

"And you?"

Her mouth forms a thin line. "I have to pay for other people's mistakes." Carrie looks over at her husband before turning over to me. "I'm glad that we have more girls in the family. Mom tells me that you have a sister."

"Yeah, she's around here somewhere," I reply. We walk into the living room. It is large and comfortable with beige couches. A television is in the corner. Prim is sitting with Peeta's father drinking a glass of soda.

"Katniss!" she goes to me. "This place is amazing!" I forget that she's never come to their home. She turns to Carrie. "Hello."

"Carrie, this is Primrose, my sister."

Prim pulls her into a hug and I am surprised that my sister is taller than Carrie by an inch or two. Peeta grins at Prim's openness and I can see that even a small smile has crawled onto Wheaton's face.

"Please call me Prim," she tells her. "I'm so glad to have another sister."

I love how Prim is so naturally open to anyone while I'm more aloof. She makes up for my shortcomings.

"Rye is on his way," Peeta's father tells us. Rye lives in the Mission so it will take him about twenty or so minutes to get across town.

"Where's mom?" Peeta asks him.

Peeta's father looks up at the loft. "She's coming."

"Peeta, Dad and I want to go over the inventory for the bakery," Wheaton tells him and Peeta glances at me. I guess the tour will have to wait.

"Katniss, why don't you get your mother?" Peeta's father suggests.

Is he fucking insane?

That woman really hates me. Not just a little but a lot.

I look over to Carrie and Prim but they are in deep conversation about native plants of the Bay Area.

Helplessly I nod. "Sure."

Peeta looks at me and shrugs. His father pats my shoulder. "Go on."

I sigh and walk up the stairs. The master bedroom is at the end of the long hall and my feet feel heavy. They are reluctant to move towards the dragon that is waiting on the other end. I finally find myself in front of the door.

I knock softly. When there is no response, I open the door and walk in. The bed is rumpled and the television across from it is blaring.

I hear a groan and rush over to where I hear the sound. Peeta's mom is bent over the toilet. She is pale and sweaty. I grab a glass next to the sink and fill it with water. I help her take a sip and then place it on the floor next to her. I take a nearby face towel and then wet it at the sink. I try not to look at the pill bottles that are on the counter.

I go back to her and wipe her forehead. She looks at me warily.

"Why are you up here?" she says with a groan.

"Dad sent me up," I tell her. After a moment, she nods. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"No, I should get ready for dinner," she tells me. I help her up.

"What is wrong with you?" I don't mean for it to come out as harshly but she doesn't seem too upset about it.

"Chemotherapy is a bitch, Katniss," she says to me and walks out of the bathroom.

It takes me a moment to register what she has just said. I rush into the room after her. "You have…cancer?" She is looking through her closet.

She pulls out a peach cashmere sweater and then looks at me like I've asked her to speak in Swahili. "I'm not throwing up for nothing."

I sit down on her bed weakly. I still can't believe what I've seen or heard. Peeta's mom sees my anguish and then sits on the bed next to me. This is the closest that she's ever been to me and I can smell her fruity perfume. I never thought that she wore perfume. I guess I believed that she douse herself in anger instead of it.

I meet her eyes. "Are you dying?"

She looks back at me for a moment. I see sadness in her eyes and I notice that they are blue like Peeta's.

"Not today," she tells me softly. "Please don't tell Peeta."

"I can't lie to my husband," I say to her and she nods understandingly.

"I'm not asking you to." She wrings her hands. "Just don't mention what you've seen. I don't want any of the boys to worry. Peeta is so soft-hearted like his father and my husband was a wreck when we first found out."

"He's stronger than you think." I don't realize that I am gripping her hand. "All of them are."

"You and I are alike you know." I almost grimace and she laughs before she continues. "We need to take care of the people we love first. Sometimes we forget that by doing that we shut them out until it's too late. I'm not proud of my behavior but I did what I thought was best."

I had always thought that Peeta's mom was a bat out of hell. Looking back I realize that a lot of her actions were to protect Peeta and his brothers. I understood that she was worried that Peeta was rushing into a marriage with someone who could potentially hurt him.

After a moment, I nod. "I won't tell but don't keep this to yourself too long."

"I won't." She places her hand over mine and I can see that her eyes are soft. "I just want to make sure that everyone is okay. Why do you think I am so keen on Peeta learning business? His father has been very preoccupied with me lately. He will need to take on more responsibility. You will have to support him."

I agree before I help her get into her sweater. Then I make sure that her curly hair is neat. She smiles at me after I am finish and the smile that I love so much is the one that is on her face. I never noticed how much Peeta resembled her.

"Katniss, why don't you call me Mom?" she asks as I help her put her shoes on.

I stop and look up from where I am kneeling on the floor. "I never thought you wanted me to call you Mom." Then I sit back on my feet. "I think I haven't thought about it because I'm not ready to call anyone else Mom."

She pushes my hair out of my eyes. "You can call me Mom when you're ready."

"Okay." Standing up, I help her gently to her feet and we leave the room together. I am careful as we walk down the stairs and she scowls though it is not because she doesn't like me. It is because I treat her as if she is made of glass.

We get to the dining table and I watch my Dad rush over to us. Our eyes meet briefly and I realize that he wanted me to know. Like her, he believes that I am the only one who can handle this.

Because they believe one day that I will become the matriarch of the family.

"Are you okay?" Peeta is by my side and I don't care that his whole family is there. I kiss him briefly on the lips.

When I pull back, I see that his parents look contentedly at us. Wheaton is irritated and Carrie is wistful. Rye who arrived while I was upstairs is not even paying attention because he is already eating. Prim is happy to be surrounded by her makeshift family.

"I'm fine," I tell him. Then I lean closer to him. "You owe me a tour later." I look at everyone at the table and I meet my Mom's eyes. My mom. For now, I will just say it in my head.

When I married Peeta, I thought that the only possible complication would be developing feelings for one another.

Now I've added Gale, Johanna, Carrie and Peeta's mom to my list of complications.

When did falling for Peeta become the easiest part of this marriage?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your patience while I healed from my very bad cold. I have bad laryngitis too so I sound so raspy. My boss keeps calling me Adele.

Songs: Daydream Believer by the Monkees

There is a lot going on in this chapter and you've met Carrie who I've briefly mentioned in other chapters. Her relationship with Wheaton has a lot going on.

I took some time thinking about how Peeta and Gale would act towards one another. Then this episode of Sex and the City came on and I figured it out. Their behavior and fight are based on that episode.

Peeta's mom has always been a mystery to me. It's weird that we never find out what made her so angry. I wanted to explore her a little more.

Johanna is here! I love her character. If I could play anyone in the movie, it would be her. I think they'd probably want her taller than me though.

The restaurant that Peeta and Katniss eat in is the Beach Chalet on the Great Highway. It's right next to the beach. I go there with my girlfriends for brunch all the time. The Alemany Farmer's Market is in-between the Mission District and Potrero Hill. You can see the Farmer's Market from the freeway on Saturdays. I use to go there with my Dad when I was a kid.

Seacliff is a luxury neighborhood right by the beach and next to the bridge. I think Robin Williams owned or owns a house there. So it is a pretty high-class neighborhood.

Oh yes, Happy 75th Birthday Golden Gate Bridge!

After the next chapter, there will be big time lapse.

Next: Peeta's POV, more realizations come to light.

Reviews are LOVE. PM's and alerts are always appreciated. I will be messaging everyone who PM'd me soon! Thank you for your patience.

-JLaLa


	9. Peeta

Author's Notes at the end.

The characters of the Hunger Game Trilogy do not belong to me.

Nothing is promised to me and you  
So why will we let this thing go  
Baby I promise that I'll stay true  
Don't let nobody say it ain't so  
And baby I promise, that I will never leave  
That everything will be alright  
I promise these things to you  
Girl just believe,I promise…

-Jagged Edge (Promise)

Italics=flashback, messages, etc.

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Chapter Eight: Peeta

"Hey Dad." I walk towards him on the pier. My Dad likes to go fishing on Saturday mornings. The Golden Gate Bridge is to our left and I watch a red and white fleet go under it.

I left a beautiful, naked Katniss in bed this morning so I'm a little cranky.

I hope this is something worth it though I don't think anything is worth leaving my wife's side on a weekend.

My father grins at me. "Hello son," he greets me as he sets his fishing line up. "Sorry to make you come down so early but this is my only free time."

"It's okay," I reply though my mind is still thinking of Katniss in bed, her long hair loose and framing her face. She opened one eye as I got ready and then gave me a sleepy smile before she drifted off again. "What's up?"

"Next weekend is the Culinary Convention in Seattle," my Dad tells me. "I can't go this year so I was wondering if you would be willing to go. It would only be a day. Would it interfere with school?"

"No, I don't have class on Fridays and I can get Finnick to take over my shift at the gym, he's wanted extra hours anyway," I tell him. "Why can't you go this year?"

"We'll go over that tomorrow at dinner," he says to me. "You'll still be able to come tomorrow?"

"Of course," I reply. "Is everything okay?"

My Dad hesitates before checking on his fishing pole. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

My suspicion is peaked but I can tell that my Dad doesn't want to discuss it further. Usually he's an open book but his expression is closed off and his posture is stiff so I don't push him.

"I should go. Prim's science club should be done by now." Prim spends every other Saturday in the Crissy Field Marsh with the other members. They observe any new sealife or birds that come to the marsh then put them in their latest reports.

"I feel kind of bad," my Dad says to me. "I tore you away from a chance to be alone with Katniss." I feel my cheeks warm. "I remember being a newlywed."

It's weird to think that once upon a time, my Dad felt the same way about my Mother. I don't see them doing what Katniss and I do.

I actually don't really want to picture it.

"Can I ask you a question?" My Dad nods. "Are you in love with my Mother?"

My Dad looks startled. "Of course I am. What kind of question is that, Peeta?"

"You guys don't seem to be the type," I tell him. "I guess I always thought that you were still into Katniss's mom."

He sighs and his eyes are faraway. "I will always love Suzie but it wasn't meant to be. Our love was something innocent and it wasn't a forever kind of love. It's not like the love that your mother and I share. Your Mom is so strong, Peeta and she has had so much heartbreak that showing how she feels can be difficult. I know she loves me though."

I think of when I was younger and my Mom had lost my Grandma. My Grandma had been sick for a long time before then. She had been the only person left in my Mom's family. My Grandfather had left before Mom was even born. She had no brothers or sisters and had been poor her whole life. Her life had been nothing but closed doors until she had married my Dad.

"How do you know?"

"Before we married, your mother was a volunteer medical assistant at UC Berkeley. One night, I came into the medical center because I had pneumonia and I was so weak. She took care of me that night and all the nights after that. I found out later that she was spending nearly every hour of her day taking care of me and going over her hours. One morning, I woke up and saw the prettiest blue eyes I'd ever seen. I knew I'd marry her right then and there."

I never imagined my parents having that kind of love story.

"Did you tell her that? "

"I did and she called me a jackass."

"Sounds like Mom."

"I knew that she loved me though. I could see it in her eyes and her actions. Do you know she still lays out my clothes for me every morning?"

I shake my head. "Wow. It's hard to think of Mom like that."

"When all of you boys were born, she would spend hours just staring at each of you," he tells me. "Like she couldn't believe that you were part of her and that she wasn't alone anymore. She always stared at you the most because when you smiled you looked just like her. You still do."

I grin to myself. Turning to my Dad, I see that his eyes are watery. "You okay Dad?"

He nods. "Just becoming a sentimental old fool. I will see you tomorrow with your girls."

I pat him on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

++++++

When I return home, Katniss has just come out of the shower. The sound of the hairdryer can be heard before I enter the bedroom. When I open the door, Katniss is at her vanity when she flips her hair and turns to see me. The silk robe she wears slightly gapes at her chest. It was a present from Chloe and Delly from one of the stores in Chinatown.

"Good morning," she says breathlessly and the room is suddenly warm. "I laid out your uniform for today. It's on the chair." I'm working at the mechanic shop today.

I remember what Dad had told me about Mom and smile. I go to Katniss and pull her in for a hug. She smells like soap and flowers. When I pull away from her, she is looking at me curiously. Katniss reaches over and pushes my hair from my face.

I lead her over to the bed and she sits down, her eyes still focused on me. Our eyes never leave one another even when she lays back and I press my body over hers.

"What are you doing to me?" she asks softly and my hand finds it way over to the belt of her robe. "Oh, I see." Katniss grins up at me.

"I just wanted to show you how grateful I am," I tell her. "Not everyone would just put someone's clothes out for them." I push her robe aside and kiss her neck then continue to trail my kisses downward. "I have to tell you something too."

Katniss quirks her eyebrow. "Is this what this is all about?"

"Can't a man admire his wife's body?" I tell her and when she continues to stare at me, I concede. "My Dad wants me to go to some convention next weekend in Seattle. It will only be for a day."

Katniss is silent for a moment. Then she turns her head and kisses the hand that is next to her. Her rose colored lipstick leaves an imprint of her lips on my hand. "It will be a long one night without you."

"I will make up for it," I assure her and our lips meet hungrily. Her taste is intoxicating. "Will you miss me?"

She shrugs. "Maybe." I blow a raspberry on her stomach and she laughs loudly. We heard a banging against the wall.

"Some people are trying to do their reports here," the muffled voice of Prim says through the wall.

"Sorry," I call out then turn to my wife. "We should get her that iPod."

"You spoil her," Katniss tells me. "Wasn't the laptop enough?"

After the incident with Gale and Johanna, I treated my little sister to a new Macbook. I thought it would make up for the fact that she regularly heard me say things to Katniss that I couldn't even repeat while we were intimate.

"It's a small thing, Katniss," I tell her as I move off her body and lay next to her. "I mean she heard us during the whole green tie incident. Think about all the other times she's probably heard us. I feel like one iPod is not enough. I feel like I should buy her five iPods."

Katniss puts a hand over her eyes in embarrassment. "I don't think the tie incident is as bad as the feather experiment. Oh God, you're right! We should get her a new stereo system at this point."

"When I come back from Seattle and see you again. We will probably have to."

She reaches for my hand. "You're not even gone and I already miss you," Katniss whispers to me.

After a moment, I squeeze her hand. "I miss you too."

++++++

The next night, we go to my parents. On the way there, Katniss is noticeably quiet. I look at Prim from the rearview mirror and she shrugs. Strange. Prim usually knows what is bothering Katniss before Katniss knows what is bothering her. We pull into a parking spot and Prim gets out to open the gate. My Dad gave her a special code so she could come over if she needed to.

"You're quiet," I say to my wife. Katniss turns to me like she's just realized that there are other people in the car. I tug at the braid she's wearing. "Anything wrong?"

"I have this paper I'm working on," she replies and then smiles at me. "I'm okay."

I'm not entirely convinced because Katniss wouldn't worry about something as trivial as a paper. She is also very good at writing since she was in AP English all through High School.

"You sure?"

She nods and then gets out of the car. When I reach Katniss outside, I put an arm around her assuringly. Katniss can't be pushed into talking because when you do, she shuts down. We walk towards the house and I can see that Prim has already opened the gate. She is waiting for us and goes to the front door before us.

My parents always leave the main door open so she walks in. When Katniss and I walk in, our ears are assaulted with the sounds of a muffled argument. I look over to the closed door of the study and then turn to Prim. "Why don't you go to the living room? We'll catch up with you."

Prim nods and takes off. I look over at Katniss. It is Carrie and Wheaton in the study. Their fights are usually epic because Carrie is the first wife who has actually talked back to my brother. He isn't violent but he can be imposing when he wants to be. Carrie is barely five feet but she can hold her own.

I've always liked Carrie. She is smart and easygoing. I was surprised when my brother announced their engagement because she isn't his type. Wife One and Two were both tall and vapid while Carrie is small and clever. I had hoped that this meant that he was turning over a new leaf.

By the sounds of it, he hasn't.

Katniss's hand is at the knob like she wants to barge in.

"This isn't part of the plan," Wheaton says from behind the door. "We made this agreement before we got engaged."

"No, you made the agreement," Carrie replies. "It happens sometimes. It's called life and you can't hide behind your figures or statistics when it comes calling. It is killing you inside, Wheaton."

"You knew what you were getting into when we got engaged." His voice is gruff.

"I just thought that you would give me a chance," she tells him. "I'm not Leslie or Rebecca." Wife One and Two. We can tell that she is crying. "I'm just me. I do love you. I've loved you since the moment I saw you, Wheaton. You can't place me in the same place as your other wives. You can't place the baby there too."

Katniss looks at me and mouths 'Baby?' to me. I shrug.

"I didn't ask you to love me," Wheaton says harshly. "A baby will only complicate things."

"Do you even love me, Wheaton?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"An important one."

"Of course I do." I shake my head in disgust. Wheaton can be a real douche when he wants to be.

"Just not enough to see that I'm different from the others," Carrie says after a moment. Her voice is resigned. There is silence for a moment. "I'm giving you the option of partial custody. Your family is welcome to visit your son or daughter when they want."

"What are you talking about Carrie?" His voice suddenly sounds fearful. "You can't leave."

"You got your deal with my Dad," she says to him. "That's all this was, right? Some sort of business deal? The contract is locked in already. I made sure of it. For you."

"You can't leave me," Wheaton finally says. He sounds hurt. I think deep down he loves her but the first two had done a number on him. He really loved them until he found out that they only loved his deep pockets.

I look over at Katniss and realize that she is visibly upset. I pull her into my arms. I know what she is thinking. We aren't very different from them. We have our own rules and contracts. There were factors that led to us marrying.

"We are different from them," I say in her ear.

"It doesn't sound like it," she replies brokenly.

The door opens and they walk out. Carrie's caramel colored face is devoid of any other color. She looks ashen. Wheaton's hair is mussed which means he has probably been running his hand through it, a Mellark nervous habit. His appearance is rumpled.

"So you've heard then?" Wheaton says and he is not angry, just tired.

Katniss reaches over to Carrie and pulls her into a hug. The smaller woman burst into tears and she has buried her face in Katniss's shoulder. My brother has the decency to look concerned. I feel my anger mounting.

My wife leads Carrie away and gives him a glare before they disappear around the corner. When they are out of sight, I turn to Wheaton. "That was really fucked up, Wheaton."

He nods. "I know." Wheaton sits on the stairs adjacent to me. "I was surprised. I didn't expect her to tell me that she was pregnant. I thought she had spent a lot of money on some jewelry or clothes when she asked to talk to me."

"You don't know Carrie at all. She isn't into money. She has enough money from her parents," I say to him. "You are so lucky and you don't even know it. Carrie loves you and you are throwing her away like she is garbage. Don't do that or she'll take off on you."

"I'm going to be a father, Peeta," he says suddenly. "I don't think I have that capability." I realize that though Wheaton can run our three businesses simultaneously, he is crap when it comes to feelings. He is clearly scared of the thing growing inside his wife.

"You do," I say. "You wouldn't care about being a father if you didn't." I sit next to him. "Do you love her?"

He thinks for a moment. "When I first met, she was working at her father's office. She kept on insisting that he take his medicine before our meeting. Carrie followed him through the office with bottled water until he complied. I was amazed at her tenacity. I was amazed also by her ability to love someone enough to chase them around an office till they listened."

"She does this for you, right?' I say to him. "Carrie will bug you until you do something?"

He laughs. "In the mornings, she'll follow me around with a multi-vitamin and a bagel," he says to himself.

"If you let her go than there is going to be no one caring for you when you wake up in the morning," I tell him. "You love her."

"I've messed up so much," he says to me. "How can she love me?"

"I'm not sure." I think of Katniss and how she takes care of me. "She just does but you can't keep pushing her away. You're going to lose them both." He nods. "You have to tell her you love her especially now. She needs you to bug her in the mornings."

Katniss walks in. "Carrie isn't feeling well. I wanted to get her some crackers and water but I can't find anything in your kitchen."

Wheaton jumps up. "I'll get it. You guys go ahead." He rushes off.

"How is she?" I ask when we are alone.

"Weepy but okay," she replies. I put an arm around her and sigh to myself.

This is not unusual for someone to have a major blow-up during a family gathering.

"Just another fabulous evening at the Mellark home."

++++++

We are in the living room later that evening. Carrie and Wheaton have managed to form some sort of truce. I notice a change in my brother. He is quieter than usual.

Wheaton seems to want a real chance with Carrie. He sits next to her the whole night and the phone that is usually glued to his face has not been seen the whole night. Carrie is quiet and I can tell that she is wary of his actions.

They have a lot of work ahead of them.

"Jenga!" Rye is jumping up from the coffee table after the tower has fallen. "In your face, Prim!" My sister scowls at him.

"Whatever, Rye," she replies sullenly. "Let's play Monopoly now."

He grabs the box from under the coffee table. "Does anyone want in on this?"

I look over at my Mom and Dad. They are watching quietly and I notice that my mom is leaning slightly against my Dad. They were never overly affectionate but I can see their love for one another in their small acts of affection. Suddenly everything little thing they do seems important to me.

"So Dad, why aren't you going to the convention this year?" Wheaton asks my Dad.

"We need to talk to you kids," my Dad says suddenly. The room goes quiet.

The last time we had a talk like this was when we made our first million. Carrie and Wheaton sit up. Rye closes the Monopoly box and even Prim folds her hand together to look up at them. I look over at Katniss and she is wringing her hands nervously.

"Your mother is sick," he tells us. "So I'm going to be taking some time off from work."

Rye looks over at my Mom. "You're sick? What's wrong Mom?"

"A few months ago, I went in for a routine check-up," she tells us. "They found a lump in my breast. It's been removed and my oncologist has me on a round of chemotherapy."

Carrie goes over to her. "You have cancer?" She hugs my Mom. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine my dear," she tells Carrie. "Don't stress out. It's not good for the baby." It seems that Carrie shared the news with my Mom before Wheaton. Carrie and my Mom are pretty close so I'm not surprised.

"Well, we have to start researching the best doctors to deal with this," Wheaton says suddenly, his business tone returning. "I'll call one of my contacts in UCSF." UCSF Hospital has the best cancer center in the city.

"There's no need," my Mom tells him. "I'm already working with an oncologist from there." She turns to me suddenly. "Peeta, what are you thinking?"

I realized that I haven't moved from my seat. I am also gripping the arm rest so hard that the color of my hand is white. I look over at Katniss who looking at me with worry in her eyes. My body feels numb.

"Why did you wait to tell us?" I ask and my voice is hoarse.

"We wanted to see how everything went," she replies and her gaze is strong. "It looked good for awhile but they are still concerned over some things that have just developed."

"I knew." I turn to Katniss in surprise. She looks guilty.

"Since when?"

"About two weeks," she replies. "Since the last dinner."

I am angry. I'm beyond angry. Katniss has never lied to me. This is something important. We've never kept secrets from each other. Even when we were kids and we were going through the 'cooties' stage, we still managed to tell each other everything.

"I thought we weren't keeping secrets from each other," I tell her harshly.

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Peeta," she replies quietly.

Katniss looks up at my mother. My mother who has cancer.

Suddenly I can't breathe. I need to get out of the room. I need to get out of this house.

"We should go," I say suddenly and my body is in auto mode as I stand up. "Let's go."

Katniss and Prim jump from their seats mumbling their goodbyes. I wait for them at the archway of the living room. I can't meet anyone's eyes because I know the only thing I will see is disappointment. The buzzing in my ears is getting louder and I just know that I'm going to lose it if I don't get out soon.

I feel someone touch my arm and it burns like fire so I pull away. I look up to see Katniss's hurt eyes. It is the first time I've ever pulled away from her touch.

When we are finally outside, the rush of cold air does nothing for the gnawing pain inside me.

++++++

"Peeta."

My Mom is in front of me.

It has been three days since I've heard the news. The night when we came home was the first night that I didn't sleep in the same bed as Katniss. I preferred the couch. It hurt to think that she didn't tell me and a small seed of distrust had formed. If she had kept something as important as this from me than what else could she be keeping?

These thoughts kept me awake at night. Also the thought of my Mother being sick. I always thought of her as invincible. She was always the strong one so losing her had never occurred to me.

If I could lose her than I could lose anyone. Even Katniss.

"Well are you going to let me in?" I widen the doorway so my Mom can enter.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her softly.

"I'm hurt, Peeta," she replies. "You don't just walk out on me. I am your Mother. Married or not, you're still my son."

She sits on the couch and I look at her. Her eyes are still the same blue though they are tired and her hair is still curly but now I've noticed that her hair looks thinner. She doesn't look like herself.

"You don't look my Mom," I tell her honestly. "How sick are you? Don't sugarcoat it for me. I'm tired of being lied to."

"It's not good, Peeta," she informs me. "It has spread but I'm fighting. I need you to fight with me." Her openness warms my heart but it is follow by a sharp stab of pain at what she has just said.

"Damnit Mom!" Tears fall down my face. "Why are you now just becoming the Mom that I wanted?"

"I was always your Mom but it's taken something like this to realize what I have missed out on," she says. "Give me the time now to become what you want." She is pushing the hair from my face and her eyes catch the blankets on the couch. "Are you still not talking to Katniss?"

"She lied Mom," I reply. Katniss has remained silent for the last three days. Prim eats dinner with me but she is quiet. She is mad at me also. She knows that we aren't speaking either. "Who knows what else she is not telling me."

"I asked her to not say anything," my Mom tells me. "She wanted to tell you."

"She did?"

"Of course, she's your wife." She takes my hand. "Katniss is incredibly loyal. She's going to stand by you just like your father stands by me. Don't take that for granted."

"I messed up, didn't I?" I sigh to myself.

"Katniss will forgive you." She seems so sure of it.

I'm not however.

++++++

"Do you have everything?" Katniss asks me quietly. We are in Terminal Two in SFO. My flight is leaving in an hour and we haven't talked. Last night, I slept in our bed but the distance between us was pronounced. I couldn't sleep as I stared at her long dark hair falling from her back.

I nod. "I'll be back on Sunday," I tell her. "You have the number to the hotel?"

She nods in return and I can tell that she wants to say something.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she says suddenly. "I've already messed up so many times and you've done a really great thing by marrying me. You deserve the truth from me because of this and I failed." Katniss bites her lip. "I just don't want you to get on that plane angry at me."

"I'm not angry," I reply after a moment. "I messed up too. I freaked out when I found out about Mom."

Katniss pulls me to her and I encircle my arms around her slim body. I've missed this.

She looks up at me with her big grey eyes. "Will you kiss me?"

I don't need to be asked twice and our lips meet. I am home again.

When we pull away, I sigh against her lips. "I can't believe that I've missed out on this whole week."

"When you come back, we will make up for it," she promises me.

The announcement on the speakers announces that the plane for Seattle has arrived. I kiss her again and it is a kiss of promise.

I push my forehead against hers. "Get Prim that iPod. She'll need it."

++++++

The convention is at a hotel close to Sea-Tac, the main airport in Seattle. The crowds are dizzying and I feel alone thinking about Katniss at home. I've been busy making contacts and handing out business cards to other bakeries and vendors. So far, I've purchased a new power mixer for the bakery at a great price.

I know that Katniss is at the salon today with Cinna so I haven't texted her the whole day. I sent one when I landed to her and Prim to let them know that I was alright. I spoke briefly to my Dad to let him know that I've purchased the mixer that we wanted. He was helping my mom who had another treatment on Friday so he was pretty preoccupied.

I reach for my phone to text her and to let know about the mixer. Also so I can tell her that I'm thinking of her and all of the things I'm going to do to her when I get back.

"As I live and breathe, it's Peeta Mellark."

I turn to see the girl who was my whole existence in high school, the girl who I had loved once, and the girl who had left me to go to UCLA.

"Clove." I hold my hand out to her. "How are you?"

She smiles at me. "We know each other better than that, don't we?" Clove pulls my hand so that our bodies can collide in a hug. I notice that she still wears the same musky rose perfume.

I take a good look at her when we pull back from one another. She is wearing a black sheath dress that clings to her body. Her dark hair is in a bun at the nape of her neck. Clove looks the same as she did in high school but instead of a cheerleading outfit, she is wearing grown up clothes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her and she gives me a coquettish smile.

"My friends and I started our own cupcake delivery service in UCLA as a side business," she tells me. "I thought I'd come up and check this out."

I nod. "Impressive."

"What's been going on with you?" she asks. I can hear the wheels in her head turning. Clove is a gossip so no doubt that anything I tell her will be told to her family and friends in San Francisco.

"I've been taking more responsibility at the bakery," I reply. "Still going to State." I hold up my ring finger. "And I got married."

The smile on her face tightens and I see a flash of something in her eyes. "Oh wow." She looks at the ring again and then tilts her head. "So who is the lucky girl that has snatched your heart?"

"She went to school with us," I say. "You remember Katniss?"

"Katniss Everdeen?" Her eyes are wide with surprise. "The skinny one that use to hang with Gale Hawthorne?"

"Yes," I reply proudly. "She's Katniss Mellark now."

"Congratulations." She looks at her watch. "I'm going to presentation in five minutes. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I'm having dinner tonight at the restaurant here with some of my friends," she tells me. "Join us."

"I can't." I don't want to be stuck with her and her vulture friends.

"I'm not taking no for an answer Peeta," she says sternly. "I will come up to your room and drag you out if you don't say yes."

I cringe. Knowing Clove, I don't doubt that she would.

After a moment, I nod and she grins. Clove checks her watch again. "Oh I have to go!" As she walks off, she turns to me again. "Eight o'clock!"

I wave and she turns back around to rush to her lecture.

The crowd engulfs me again. What the hell did I get myself into?

++++++

"Peeta, over here." I look over to see Clove at a table close to the window. It is drizzling outside. Reluctantly, I walk over to her. She gets up and kisses me on the cheek. She is wearing a red dress that accentuates her curves smoothly. "You look nice."

The restaurant is small yet elegant. There is a bit of a crowd since so many of the attendees have rooms in the hotel.

I sit down across from her. Clove is clearly fishing for a compliment. "Thanks." I take a drink from the glass of water at the table as she sits back down disappointed. "Where are all your friends?"

She waves her hand. "They couldn't make it." Leaning forward, she gives me a penetrating stare. "You look much more mature. Also, very handsome. Marriage seems very good to you."

"Yes, Katniss is good to me," I tell her.

"So why did you get married so early?" she asks. "I mean I wasn't even gone that long, Peeta." Her voice is tinged with bitterness.

"I married her because I love her." Clove bristles at my words and then takes a sip from her glass. It's an amber colored liquid and I wonder how she was able to get an alcoholic beverage being under twenty-one.

"Love," she groans. "I should've known. I mean you danced the last dance with her at our prom for goodness sake." Clove looks at me. "I was your date and you didn't even look at me the whole time. It was always her in her damn red dress."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask her.

"You were always in love with her," Clove tells me. There is a slight slur in her words as she spits them out. "I even let you sleep with me but I could tell that you were thinking of her the whole time. You even said her name in your sleep."

"I did?" This is all news to me.

"You watched her all the time." Anger is now evident in her posture. "Glimmer couldn't believe how much time you spent going to her events."

I think of Katniss while we were in school. She was always a bit of a loner after Gale left. She wasn't into any of the clubs that Clove and I were in (prom committee, school spirit, etc.). She was in the Science Club and played volley ball. "I went to every one of her volleyball games, didn't I?"

"Even the away games," Clove says in disgust. "Thank God, you never dragged me along. Do you know how humiliating it was to hear that my boyfriend cheered the loudest when Katniss made a point?"

"I'm sorry Clove," I tell her sincerely. "I guess you saw more than I did."

"I remember," she continues with her glass in her hand and her elbows on the table. She is leaning towards me and I could see now that she is inebriated. "We would be in the cafeteria with all of our friends and your eyes would meet from across the room. You would just stare at each other. It was sickening."

It's our junior year. I'm sitting at our usual table and Clove is clinging to my arm. She is deep in conversation with Glimmer over some concert that we're going to. I'm trying to decipher what exactly I'm eating when I look up.

Katniss is a few tables away from me with Gale when our eyes meet. I wonder how her eyes can sparkle so brightly from where I sit. They are framed by dark lashes. She smiles at me and my heart is pounding out of my chest. Gale taps her shoulder and we both come out of our reverie.

"I didn't know," I tell Clove. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You can make it up to me," she replies and finishes her drink off. "Let's go to my room. I have a mini-bar and I want to show you some things I've learned in college." I know exactly what she wants to show me.

"I'm married, Clove."

She pouts. "You owe me. I mean you broke my heart, Peeta. The least you can do is come up with me," Clove tells me. She puts her hand on mine. "No one has to know. It can be our secret."

I look down at the hand that she is covering. It's the same hand that Katniss kissed last weekend. I can picture the lipstick imprint on my hand still. I can see her grey eyes staring up at me as she laid on the bed we shared. The same grey eyes that sparkled from across a busy cafeteria at me.

I get to look into those eyes whenever I want now. How did I get so lucky?

I move my hand away from Clove's and her eyes narrow. "So that's how it is then?"

Then my phone vibrates and I pull it out of pocket. It's a text from her: _'This bed feels empty without you'_. When I lock my phone, the screen shows a picture of Prim and Katniss grinning. My girls.

"That's how it is," I reply. "I'm in love with my wife."

"I was your first," Clove argues.

I get up from the table and look down at her. "But she is my last."

With that, I walk away from table. I take out my phone and respond to Katniss.

_'Sleep. I'll be home sooner than you think.'_

++++++

"What are you doing here?" Prim is sitting on the couch watching a movie when I enter our house. "You aren't supposed to be back until tomorrow morning."

I grin at her despite being drenched from the rain that greeted me in San Francisco. I put my suitcase down by the door. "Nice to see you too, Prim."

My little sister rushes over to hug me. "I didn't mean it like that. Welcome home."

It is well past midnight and I look at the television screen to see what she's watching. "What movie is this?"

"High School High." I also notice that she is holding a chocolate bar. I raise my eyebrows at her. "Come on Peeta, it's the only night I get to stay up late!" She grins. "What are you doing here?"

"I realized something."

"What?"

"I can't sleep without your sister beside me," I tell her.

"Should I put my iPod on tonight?" Prim holds up a metallic blue iPod nano for me to look at.

"I'll let you know," I tell her and kiss the top of her head. "Go to bed after this."

I walk up the stairs and open the door to our bedroom quietly. Removing my coat, I place it by the chair next to the door. I lock the door behind me then push my shoes off. Katniss is sleeping but I can see that she has not spread herself across the bed. She is curled up on her side holding a pillow.

I approach the bed quietly and sit on the bed as quietly as I can. I lay down and then turn towards her back. I move closer so that I am spooning her and I wrap my arms around her waist.

Katniss wakes up at my touch and turns her head to look at me. Her lips spread into a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would be home sooner than you think." I pull her tighter to me. "I couldn't sleep without you next to me."

"Be sure to tell your Dad that you're not traveling anymore," she replies.

"I have to tell you something." Katniss turns around and I realize that she's wearing the silk robe. It's starting to become a favorite of mine. "I ran into Clove at the convention."

"Oh?" She pushes her upper body up so that she can lean her chin against her hand. "Is this good news or bad news?"

"Good news," I reply. "We had dinner—"

"Is this the good news?"

"No, but she started to talk to me about high school. She kept going on and on about how I was always preoccupied with looking at you and neglecting her."

"Is this the good news yet?"

"No, you have to be patient." Then I meet her eyes. "Then she invited me to her room." Her face falls.

"Peeta—"

"Of course, I didn't go," I say and she looks relieved. "It made me realize something. I don't think I've ever looked at anyone since you and I don't want to."

I cup her face and her eyes fill with tears. I can see her swallow slowly. "Oh?"

"I'm in love with you, Katniss."

Her face breaks into a grin. "Is that the good news?"

I nod nervously. "It is if you feel the same."

Katniss pulls me to her and our lips meet.

Once again, I'm home.

"What do you think?" she says when we pull apart. I have no doubt how she feels. I lay back and she puts her head in the space in-between my arm and my chest. "And what happens now? We still have a job to do. We still have to make sure that Prim stays out of the system. Do you think that this will mess it all up?"

"We'll take it as slowly as we can," I say to her. "I'm not quite sure how to do this myself. It is all kind of jumbled. Our order of things anyway."

Katniss moves herself up and kisses my neck. I sigh, feeling suddenly feeling weak. "Take me out on a date then. You still have to woo me."

"Woo you?" I kiss her and she grins teasingly. "Can I take you to dinner next weekend?"

"Sure."

"Will I get some?" I tease her back and she swats my shoulder. We burst in laughter.

Suddenly we hear footsteps coming up. "I am coming up the stairs." It is Prim. "I'm in the hallway." We see the shadow of her feet under our door. "I'm walking into my room." We hear the click of her door closing.

"What is she doing?" Katniss asks.

"She wanted to know if she should turn her iPod on tonight," I tell her and my hand is undoing the belt of her robe.

Katniss undoes my belt buckle and then kisses me. When she pulls back, she leans her forehead against mine. "Tell her to turn it on."

I pound against the wall with my fist. A muffled "thank you" is heard followed by the sounds of a bass guitar.

I look at Katniss. "I got her a dock radio too. She heard us during the whole feather thing," she tells me and in the darkness I can still her cheeks darken.

"Fair enough," I reply as I pull her to me.

Our lips again.

Prim's iPod plays until the early hours of the morning.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did I tell you how awesome y'all are? You really know how to make a girl feel special. Kudos to all who knew which Sex and the City episode it was from!

A few things:

The next chapter will take place six months later. It will be the beginning of Part Two.

The Presidio is an old army base that is a situated right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

There is a pier there and if you take a red and white fleet boat, you will probably pass by it.

Crissy Field is part of the Presidio. It has a beach with a dirt path before the sand. I usually walk my dogs here on the weekend with my husband. The marsh is along the path.

SFO is the San Francisco International Airport and Sea-Tac is the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Terminal Two in SFO is where Virgin America flies out from.

Yes, there is an actual movie called 'High School High', I watched it last weekend.

I read once that Queen Victoria had her husband, Prince Albert, clothes laid out every day for him. She continued to do this even after his death. I always thought that this was a beautiful show of devotion.

Oh Clove…you haven't seen the last of her. Also, look out for Johanna and Gale.

Reviews are love, alerts and PM's are always appreciated.

Next: Prim turns 15, a baby shower, and our couple continues their inverted courtship.

-JLaLa


	10. Part Two: Katniss

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. I just like to mess with them.

When you feel what you feel  
Oh, how hard for me to understand  
So many things have taken place before this love affair began

But if you feel, oh, like I feel  
Confusion can give way to doubt  
For there are times when I fall short of what I say,  
what I say I'm all about, all about

-Aaliyah (At Your Best)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Two, Chapter Nine: Katniss

_Six Months Later_

"So how's that tapioca drink working for you?" I ask Annie as we walk back to the gym to meet our husbands. Actually, I'm walking and Annie is waddling. She is eight months pregnant with Finnick Junior.

Annie sighs happily and closes her eyes as she sips. "Orgasmic."

"Don't let Finnick hear that."

She gives me a wicked smile. "Oh don't worry, I get plenty of those from him too," she says. Annie rubs her belly affectionately. "Finnick Junior keeps me up in the day and Finnick keeps me up at night."

"Gross." I make a face at her and she simply takes another sip of her drink.

"I'm sure that Peeta keeps you on your toes." I blush, finding a sudden interest in my shoes. "You're newlyweds."

"We have a fourteen soon to be fifteen year old girl living in the house," I reply. "So we don't have many places to be newlyweds."

Truthfully, the fact that Peeta has keys to all the businesses gives us a lot of places to be together.

Like the gym supply closet, or the office desk at the mechanic shop, or even the bakery.

I can't even look at the prep table at the bakery without crossing my legs in pleasure.

"You are a damn liar," Annie tells me with an amused smile. We turn the corner and walk a few paces. "I can see it on your face. Thank goodness I've given you that shot."

When we walk into the gym, Peeta and Finnick are at the reception desk chatting.

My husband winks at me from a distance. It's been six months since we've admitted that we are in love with one another.

He leans against the desk as we approach and I squirm. We did it there too. This morning.

"Who are these beautiful women?" Finnick exclaims as we get closer. He looks at Annie and grins. "Wait…it's our wives!" He goes over so he can cup Annie's face to kiss her.

I walk over to Peeta and he wraps his arms around my waist. I wrap my arms around his neck and lean my forehead against his. "I feel like we've been in this position before. You have very strong thighs, by the way."

"So do you," he tells me and then kisses me softly. I feel the familiar heat spread through my body. I also feel the completeness of being in his arms. When he pulls his lips begrudgingly away, I can see that his blue eyes are gleeful. "God, I love you."

"Say it again," I tell him.

"I love you, Katniss Mellark."

I have become one of those girls. The mushy kind. I know that it won't always be like this though.

Finnick approaches us. "You better watch out," he tells me. "You might end up pregnant too."

We both quickly detangle ourselves. I smile at him. "We'll leave the babies to you two."

"So for the shower, you'll need to be at the house early," Finnick says as to us. "Your outfits will be there too." Since it has been so difficult for Annie to get some time off, the baby shower had to be pushed to the end of the month.

"Outfits?" Finnick winks at me.

"It's a jungle themed baby shower," Peeta informs me. "Complete with treehouse and vines in the backyard. He's had me draw out the backyard plan."

Reaching for a rolled up piece of paper on the desk, Peeta shows me the plans. The yard has a treehouse on the corner back area. Tables are situated around the center while the long tables where the food will be are on the left. An area for the band is to the right and a small dance floor is right next to it.

"It could be worse," Peeta continues. "He's making the band dress up as jungle animals."

I turn to Finnick. "What exactly is my costume?" He looks over at Peeta for help.

I look at Peeta whose face is crimson. "Me Tarzan, You Jane."

Turning to our friend, I scowl. "You dead." My hands reach for his neck but Peeta grabs my waist before I can get to him.

"Well, I'll be dressing up too," Finnick tells me. "It will be your baby shower gift to us. You are Finn's Godparents…"

I can't believe that I am thinking of doing this but I look over at Finnick's hopeful face and reluctantly nod.

Walking over to Annie, I kneel before her belly. "Finn, when you come out. There's going to be man with bronze hair and crazy eyes. This is your Father." I look at my friend then turn to the belly again. "I apologize for his behavior."

Annie giggles and I look up at her. "He's kicking. I think he likes your voice." I feel a push on my hand and gasp. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"It is," I reply softly feeling the tiny motions under my hand. Turning to Peeta, I see that he is staring down at me with a strange look in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

The look disappears and he holds out his hand to me. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Weekly meeting." I nod.

"Is that what you call it now?" Finnick says with a grin and Annie smacks him in the back of the head.

"No, we call it something else," I tell him smiling and take Peeta's hand. "We'll see you soon."

"What do you call it?" Finnick's curiosity is peaked.

"Goodbye Finnick," Peeta says to him and hugs Annie.

"Cinna and Portia are coming to the shower," Annie tells me. "They're going to do our hair. I invited Octavia and Flavius too." I nod before hugging her.

"What do you call it?" Finnick asks us. His voice has reached a whiny tone. "Come on guys. You know I hate when people don't tell me things."

Ignoring him, we head to the door. When we reach it, Peeta holds open the door for me. As I walk out, I hear Finnick shout.

"WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?"

++++++

"So how's school?" I ask Peeta. We are lying in the grass looking up at the clouds for our meeting. Since we have very little time in-between school and work, we make time for weekly meetings to catch up. However, most of the time in-between subjects, we spend making out.

Peeta finished the semester and decided that he was going to stick with Business. However, he has also enrolled in the Culinary Academy to keep his baking skills fresh. His parents have decided to leave him the bakery and he has stopped working at the mechanic shop. Finnick is managing the gym after having several interviews with Wheaton for the position.

"It looks like my GPA is a steady 3.0," he tells me. "I'm enrolling in some management classes. Also, I'm going to have to hire someone part-time for the bakery so I'm going to be posting the job in some of the nearby schools."

"Why don't you ask Prim?" Since she is turning fifteen soon, Prim has started talking about getting a job to help with expenses. Peeta and I agreed as long as she kept her GPA up.

"I did," he tells me. "She doesn't want a job handed to her. She wants to interview for one. Prim told me that it would help with her college interview skills." Peeta turns to me. "We have one smart kid."

I laugh. "She's been arguing with me about her clothes," I tell him. "She thinks we're being too strict."

Over the last few months, Prim has bloomed. Actually, she's exploded.

Her body has filled out and the previous complaints of being a stick have been silenced. We have accepted that she's not a little girl anymore. Sometimes.

However, a month ago when we went to the Alemany Farmers Market, a boy who was helping in the egg stall nearly knocked down a whole bunch of containers because he saw Prim. She was wearing a modest tank top though it was fitted. Prim didn't even notice him but he caught Peeta's eyes. I had to stop my husband from choking him. He is very protective of his little sister.

"I'll tell Effie and Haymitch to talk to her," he tells me. They have become a surrogate Aunt and Uncle to her.

Haymitch and Effie have sort of stepped over their boundaries when it comes to their roles. In fact, they spent Thanksgiving with us. Haymitch actually spent it yelling at the television because his football team lost. After, Effie let him lay his head in her lap and she ran her hand through his hair until he fell asleep.

I saw it then. She was in love.

"Effie can really lay the guilt trip when she wants to," I reply. Effie often lectures me on how I should be more of a proper wife. My skills in the kitchen have gotten worse since I got married. Peeta does most of the cooking though.

"Change of subject, Prim is turning fifteen in two weeks," he says to me. "Should we talk to her about…you know?"

"Sex," I state. "We can't talk to her about it if you can't even say it."

He whispers in my ear. "I love your bluntness." Peeta runs his lips lightly over mine. "You're right and we should talk to her about sex."

"I had my first boyfriend at fifteen," I tell him.

"I know," he says grimly. "I hated that guy."

"Cyrus," I remind him. He was right before Gale and my senior year boyfriend, Marvel. "He was all tongue and no lips."

"Whatever." Peeta scowls and I press my chest into his. I kiss his neck and he sighs.

He pushes himself up so that he can partially lay over me. There is no one at Lake Merced since it is a weekday so we don't really think about anyone seeing him practically on top of me.

"We'll sit her down and talk to her about sex," he tells me. "Maybe you should tell her about your first time."

"Yes, I will tell her about my first time with her crush's older brother." Peeta smiles hearing my sarcastic tone. "We want her cautious not sterile. I'm sure you'd like some nieces or nephews at the appropriate time. Why don't you tell her about your first time?"

"It was with Clove." I grimace. "My thoughts exactly."

"Next subject."

"There's another culinary convention at the Moscone Center in a few weeks," he tells me. "They're going to be holding a dinner and I'd like to go. It would be good to get the bakery's name out there. Would you like to go with me?"

"Do I have to dress up?" I'm never good with dressing up and I hate shopping.

Peeta looks at me shyly. "Well yeah, it's black tie and there will be music and everything. It would be like the prom but this time I get to take the girl I want."

My husband can be such a romantic.

I nod. "Okay. Does this mean I get some after prom sex?"

"Depends on how hot the dress is," he replies jokingly. "I would probably do you if you came in a paper bag though. It would be easier to take off too."

"In that case, you better get me a corsage that matches that kind of brown."

I take his hand and we spend the rest of the afternoon looking at the cloud shapes.

++++++

"So I hear that someone's birthday is coming up," Peeta's Dad says with a grin.

We are all sitting in the living room of the Mellark house having just finished dinner. Prim is sitting on the floor playing Scrabble with Rye and surprisingly Wheaton.

I think he is trying to show Carrie that he likes kids. For the past six months, Carrie has been staying with Mom (I only call her that in my head still) and Dad at this house while Wheaton stays in their loft downtown.

Carrie is sitting in a fluffy chair rubbing her six month old belly. Every once in awhile, Wheaton looks up to see if she is even looking at him. Peeta sits next to me on the loveseat.

I look over at Mom. She has lost her hair from the chemo and wears a Hermes scarf on her head. Her skin is pale and there are circles under her eyes. However, she is wearing a small smile on her face as she looks around.

"It's me!" Prim says waving her hand and grinning.

"We were thinking," Mom begins. "You should have your birthday party here. You can invite all your friends from school."

"I know a great DJ," Rye says. "We can make him play slow songs if you want." He elbows Prim who blushes.

"Really?" Prim's face lights up. She looks over at Peeta and me. "Can I?"

I turn to Mom and Dad. "Are you sure? I don't want the kids to bother you."

"Well we didn't have daughters till now," Mom says. "So we never got to have the Sweet 16 parties, all the boys wanted were Playstations or whatever the new game thing was that year."

"But I'm only turning 15," Prim tells them.

"Well they have parties like that for fifteen year olds," Dad says. "I use to get cake orders for them all the time. They're called Quinceañeras."

"Prim turns to us again. "Can I…please?" She begs us with her clasped hands.

"Alright," Peeta says after getting a nod from me.

She jumps up and hugs both of us with her gangly arms. "I love you guys!" Then she goes to Mom and Dad. Prim hugs Dad tightly and he pats her back. Then she hugs Mom more gently. "Thank you. I'm so excited."

"We will go over plans later on," Mom tells her fondly as she runs a hand through Prim's bright blonde hair. They could be Mother and Daughter thinking of the light blond that my mother in law use to be.

I briefly think of Mom. She would've loved to see this. Part of me begins to ache inside.

"You okay?" Peeta asks and puts an arm around me. I nod and put my head on his shoulder.

Across the room, Carrie looks at us sadly and then her eyes wander to Wheaton. It must be lonely for her in the house. Mom and Dad are often out because of her treatment or going to see Doctors.

"How are you feeling Carrie?" I find myself asking. She looks up at me.

"Tired but I'm good," she says with a grin. "I found out what I'm having. Mom and Dad took me to my appointment yesterday."

"What are you having?" Prim asks and her eyes dance.

She places her hands on her belly before looking up. "I'm having a girl."

The room erupts in cheers. Prim rushes over and hugs her. Rye kisses her cheek. Before I go over to congratulate her, I notice that the only one who hasn't moved is Wheaton. He is frozen on the floor. Mom and Dad remain in their seats because they already know. They are beaming at the thought of their first grandchild.

I walk over to Carrie and hug her softly. "Congratulations." Peeta follows me and hugs her.

"We're having a daughter?" Wheaton finally speaks. "Why didn't you tell me about the appointment?" He looks crestfallen.

"You were booked," she told him. "I checked with your assistant. Children don't follow a schedule and I couldn't wait for you."

"I'm sorry," he says to her. "Please tell me when your next appointment is. I want to see her."

Carrie reaches in her pocket and pulls something out. "I guess I should show you first." Wheaton walks over and kneels at her feet. "It's the latest sonogram picture." She hands it to him.

Wheaton is mesmerized. From where I stand with Peeta, I can see the high contrast photo and the shape of a baby is apparent. He looks at it and then up at her. "She's beautiful like you."

She blushes at his words. "She's a good size."

"Have you decided on a name?" Prim asks as she peers over Wheaton's shoulder. He hands her the picture.

"Yes," Carrie says nervously. She looks over at Mom and Dad nervously. "Her name is Rhea."

"Rhea?" Dad repeats and his voice trembles.

"Yes, there can only be one Rhiannon in your life," she tells him looking at Mom. "I wanted something close to it though."

Carrie sits up with Wheaton's help and she gives him a small, grateful smile. Going over to Mom, she takes her hand.

"Do you mind?" she asks. Mom shakes her head and Carrie kisses the top of her head.

Mom wipes her eyes and then suddenly meets my own. "Enough of this. Katniss, I have a dress that I think you can have for the conference dinner. Carrie, Prim, let's all go take a look at it."

Prim and I help her up. Carrie follows behind as we walk out of the room leaving the men alone. We ascend the stairs still helping her as we walk to the Master Bedroom. When we reach the door, Prim opens it and we enter together.

I help Mom into bed and she lays her back against the pillows. "The garment bag is hanging on the door of my closet."

I walk into the closet. It always amazes me every time I come here. Mom's closet is like a department store. Shoes are lined up and stacked on one side. A three-side mirror is at the far end and a pedestal is in the middle of the closet. Clothes are neatly hung on the other side. I see the long garment bag and lift it gently.

Walking out, I see that Prim is sitting on the bed while Carrie sits on a chair in the corner.

"Well let's see it," Mom says and I unzip the bag. The dress is a beautiful dusty orange.

Like a sunset.

"Peeta's favorite color," I say as I look at it. "It's perfect." I turn to her. "This looks new."

"It's yours," she tells me. "After Carrie's appointment, we went to Union Square and saw it on display while we were in Neiman Marcus. We knew that this dress belonged to you. These dinners can be boring so you might as well have a fun dress."

"Well we're going to try to make the best of it, you know." I pull the dress out and sigh. It's really lovely. "We decided to make it like our own prom."

"That's adorable," Carrie says with a grin. "Just don't drink too much because things can happen."

I turn to her. "Like what?"

She points to her stomach. "Auto Association Convention at the Hyatt."

"Now I'm definitely holding off on the liquor."

++++++

"So what did you guys want to talk to me about?" Prim asks as she digs into her waffle.

We took her to her favorite restaurant which serves authentic soul food. Prim loves their chicken and waffles. Peeta figured that if we can distract her with food than it won't be as awkward.

I look at him and take a sip of my soda before speaking. "We want to talk to you about sex."

Prim is lifting a chicken wing to her mouth when I say it and it drops from her hands hitting the plate with a thud.

"What about sex?" she says when she's recovered.

"Well, you're going to be fifteen and there's going to be a lot of peer pressure," I tell her. "Especially from guys."

"Horrible, filthy scumbag kind of guys," Peeta adds darkly.

"I know this," Prim tells us. "We've had sex education in school. I know about sperm and eggs and all that stuff. By the way, do you know how much sperm a man carries in the testes?"

"If you say sperm one more time, my head will explode." Peeta puts his head in his hands.

"Big brother, grow up." Prim looks annoyed and then turns to me. "I also know about birth control and condoms."

"That's good but you want to make sure that you're emotionally ready too," I respond and my throat feels tight. "It should be with someone you love."

"Did you love the person that you lost your virginity to?" she asks and Peeta grips my hand.

I'm silent for a moment. "I did. I do but not in that kind of way."

"So you still talk to this guy?"

"Yes." This is getting bad quickly.

Fortunately Peeta saves me. "I wasn't as lucky, Prim," Peeta tells her. "I regret the girl who I was with. I didn't love her."

"How do you know?" Prim asks him. "How do you know that it's your heart and not your head?"

"You know when you can see your future with them," he tells her. "When you can see her holding your child." I turn and see that he is staring at me. Something tumbles in my stomach at his words.

"Okay." Prim takes a bite of her chicken wing. When she swallows and puts the wing down, she looks at us again. "How many times does it take before it becomes enjoyable?"

"The first few times are uncomfortable," I admit to her but I take her hand. "It will always be uncomfortable or weird if you don't love the person. So please wait until you are definitely sure that it is someone you love. If you need help than you can come to me."

"And if he's an ass than I will kill him," Peeta tells her. "Because you deserve a prince and nothing less than that."

"I promise I will tell you when I think I'm ready," she says to me. "This talk wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She takes another bite of her fried chicken. "So do you guys want to know how much sperm is held in the testes?"

"No," I tell her. "And I want to cancel my order of grits."

++++++

A week later when I get home from Cinna's, I am greeted by the sight of Prim sitting at the dining table with Rory. I give them a smile and they go back to their homework. They are sitting so close that their shoulders almost touch. Rory looks at Prim's hair as she tries to explain the Pythagorean theorem to him.

Rory looks up after he gets the problem to greet me. "Hey Katniss."

"Hey Rory." I plop myself down on the couch. "Is Prim tutoring you too?"

Prim is working as a tutor, a job that she got from school's assistance program. Twice a week, she tutors other students from her school. I'm not surprised that they asked her to do it. She is in every AP class as well as taking a science class that is a grade level higher than what she is.

"Nope, we're just doing homework before her next session," he replies with an easy smile. "Johanna and Gale called last night. They said hello and they'll see you next week."

Besides Prim's birthday, Gale and Johanna will be coming back to San Francisco to get the keys to their new apartment in the Sunset. They both decided to enroll in the University of San Francisco in their respective major. They wanted to be closer to Gale's family also.

I'm excited because they are coming back. Johanna and I have become friends though she loves to mess with me. The day before she left, she woke me up by blowing bubbles in my face. I woke up a soapy mess.

"It's nice that they're coming back," I tell him. "They'll be here in time for the party."

Prim and Mom have been party planning like crazy. I think it's a nice way to keep Mom distracted though Peeta and I insisted on buying Prim's dress with our own money. The whole freshman class and some of the sophomore class have accepted the invitation to her party.

"It's going to be awesome," he tells me. "Everyone is really excited."

"Rory, don't let my sister distract you," Prim chides. The doorbell rings and she looks at her watch. "My student is here. I'll call you later and we can finish over the phone."

Rory nods and Prim goes to the door. When she opens it, a tall blond boy is on the other side. He grins at her confidently and from where I'm sitting I can see Rory falter when Prim lets him in.

"Hey Derek," Prim says kindly. "Have a seat at the dining table and we'll get started."

"Thanks for doing this Prim," he replies and Derek looks over at Rory. "Hi Rory. Nice to see you." Rory nods then Derek turns back to Prim. "You look really nice today."

Prim blushes. "Thank you." She spots me. "This is my sister Katniss." I go over to shake Derek's hand but also to give him the onceover. "So get your books out." Derek nods and goes to the table.

"Is it okay if I stay here?" I ask her.

"It's fine just keep the television down," she replies. "I'll walk you out Rory."

Rory reluctantly leaves and I sympathize with his angst. It is clear that Derek likes Prim.

When Rory leaves, I settle on the couch and watch some mindless reality television. My phone vibrates. It's Peeta. Grinning I pick it up. "Hello."

"Hey baby," he says over the phone. "I'll be out in a twenty minutes. Did you know that Rory has been sitting on our steps for the last ten minutes?"

"He is?"

"Yup, I was pulling out the displays when I noticed him."

"I'll go talk to him," I say quietly. "I think I know what this is about."

Getting up, I look over at Prim and Derek who are immersed in looking over the essay that he has written. I notice that he is staring at Prim intently.

I go to the door unnoticed and walk out silently. The noise of me closing the door catches Rory's attention. "Hey Rory. You okay?"

I sit next to the dark haired boy. He grins sheepishly. "How did you know I was here?"

"Peeta." I point to the bakery and Peeta waves from the counter. "What's going on?"

"Just me being a chicken." He wrings his hands. Gale does the same thing when he is thinking about something. "Derek likes her, you know. He's in the basketball team and he's really smart."

"Then why is he being tutored?"

"Because the tutor is a very pretty and very smart girl." He looks over at me. "Derek is really nice too. It would be easier if he was an asshole but he's not. He stares at her in the lunchroom."

"Who is Prim looking at when you're having lunch?"

"Well me. Because we're usually talking."

"That should say something to you." I think of how obvious my feelings for Peeta even in High School. I would stare at him until Gale poked me with his fork.

"Not all of us get the girl," he tells me. Rory sounds resigned to his fate.

"You can get her but it won't be easy." We look up and see Peeta smiling at us. He sits at the step below me. "Everyone gets scared or thinks that they're not good enough sometimes. You just have to take the chance to tell Prim how you feel."

"And if she laughs in my face?"

"Prim isn't that kind of person," I tell him. "You know her enough to know that she is not cruel."

He nods and gets up. "I better get going. Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime Rory." Peeta waves.

Rory begins to walk but then suddenly turns around. "You guys are really good together. I know that I should've been rooting for Gale when he was into you but I think that it's better this way."

With that he walks off.

++++++

My face is ticklish.

I am trying to focus and wake up. The ticklish feeling comes back and I rub my face. Why does it smell like flowers?

There is something smeared on my face.

When I finally open my eyes, I see the grinning face of Johanna. She is giggling. "Good morning starshine."

I look at my hand and it is covered in lotion. I realize that my face is covered in it. Some of my hair is too. I frown at her. "You bitch."

"I missed you too." She gets up from where she is kneeling and flops onto Peeta's side. "The boys are downstairs."

I turn over. "Go away. I need more time."

"Get up Katniss," she urges me and then smacks my rear for good measure. "Wow. I never noticed but your ass is pretty soft."

Finally I sit up to wipe my face. "I'm up."

"Sexy." I look down and realize that I'm wearing a see-through tank top with pajama pants.

"Go away!" I threaten her with a hairbrush on my side table and she rushes out the door. When I'm alone, I put on a cardigan and go to the bathroom where I brush my teeth. I remove the rest of the lotion and braid my hair.

Finally when I am ready, I head downstairs and the smell of bacon greets me. In the dining room, Prim sits eating while going over the schedule for the party. I kiss the top of her head.

"Happy Birthday Prim." She grins up at me.

"I'm so excited," she tells me. "Thank you for letting me have this party and for the dress."

"You work really hard and we're proud of you," I reply.

"So you've decided to grace us with your presence." Johanna comes in followed by Gale and Peeta. They are all carrying plates of food.

When Gale places his plate down, I give him a quick hug. Our friendship has slowly started to heal over the past few months. Though I'm actually closer to Johanna right now.

"Peeta, do you wake up to that every morning?" Johanna points to me in my cardigan and pajama pants.

My husband looks over at me and grins bashfully. "Yes and she's always that gorgeous."

"I would say she was gorgeous too if she always wore see through tops to bed," she responds. He remains silent though his cheeks darken so she continues. "And her ass is unbelievably soft but in a good way. Kudos."

"Thank you for that Jo," Peeta says and we settle in for breakfast.

The day goes quickly especially when Cinna shows up to do Prim's hair. I sit with her as he curls her hair. She looks over at me and I can see that she is nervous.

"You okay?"

She nods but her eyes are filled with tears. "I miss Mom." Suddenly she leans forward covering her face with her hands. Cinna stops and puts the curling iron on the table. He pats her shoulder and after giving me a sad smile, he leaves the room. "I'm fine."

"You're not," I say and I don't realize that I'm crying until I instinctively wipe my eyes. I pull her into my arms tightly. "It's okay to miss her. It's okay to miss both of them."

"I know," she sobs. "And I know I'm lucky because I have you and Peeta. I just wish she could have seen my dress and my hair. She would have been so excited." Prim sighs. "I know that we wouldn't have any of this if you didn't marry Peeta."

Prim looks me square in the eyes.

"I know," she continues. "I've known for a long time."

"How did you find out?" I ask.

"Haymitch told me," she replied. "When he's drunk, he's not quiet." Prim smiles softly. "The good thing is that getting married pushed you both into something that was meant to happen."

"Are you mad?" I ask. "I didn't want to lie."

"I would've messed it up before if I knew," she says to me.

It's hard to believe that she is only fifteen. She is so much smarter than I was at that age. "It doesn't matter anymore because you are in love with each other. Anyone can see that."

I nod. "I do love him." I take a deep breath and stand up. "I'm going to get Cinna and then we can do your makeup." I go to the door and I turn to see her. She has a fluffy makeup brush in her hand and is patting it lightly on her face to hide the redness of her crying. "Prim." She turns to me. "I love you."

"I love you too," she says quietly back.

++++++

_'Cause when the sun sets baby  
On the avenue  
I get that drunk sex feeling  
Yeah, when I'm with you  
So put your arms around me, baby  
We're tearing up the town  
'Cause that's just how we do…_

"Rye, we're going to get so in trouble with all their parents," I tell my brother. He is standing next to me dancing to the song.

"Relax sis," he tells me with an easy grin. "It's a fast song. No one is going to notice."

Someone taps my shoulder and I turn to see a boy with dark hair and a letterman jacket.

"I've never seen you at school," he says to me and grin. "Do you want to dance gorgeous?"

"No she doesn't." Peeta comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He stares the boy down.

The boy puts his hands up in surrender. "Sorry dude. Didn't know she was your girl." He turns and walks away but not before he winks at me.

"Now I don't think that this dress was such a good idea." I adjust the dark blue tube dress.

Peeta laughs. "No, you do look awesome but no one dances with my girl."

"To be fair, he thought I went to Prim's school," I tell him. "He had no idea that I was the married chaperone."

We look out at the backyard from where we stand on the top of the double staircase. Lights are lined up above the party. The dance floor is floor is crowded with teenagers while the DJ spins at the farther part of the yard.

I spot Prim in her light blue dress dancing with her friend Rue. She looks so happy and carefree. I notice that Derek is a few feet away from her dancing with another girl but his eyes are glued on Prim. Then I see Rory talking to Gale and Johanna though his eyes are also following Prim.

"Do you want to dance?" Peeta asks.

I shake my head. "I don't think I want any teenage bodies pressing against me."

Instead we go down to where Gale and Johanna are standing. Johanna is wearing a tight white dress while Gale is in a simple striped button down. Rory stands awkwardly watching my sister.

"Why don't you dance with her?" I ask him as we reach them.

"I've been asking him that for the last five minutes," Johanna tells me.

"I can't dance," Rory states. I look over at Gale who shrugs. Sometimes he is so collected; I don't understand how he even approached Johanna.

"Give him time," Peeta tells us. "He'll go at his own pace." Rory throws him a grateful look.

"I can't stand here waiting for it to happen," Johanna says and takes my hand before I can protest. "Let's dance."

I look at Peeta as she pulls me away. He waves goodbye at me and I stick my tongue at him.

_I'm on the floor, floor  
I love to dance  
So give me more, more, 'til I can't stand  
Get on the floor, floor  
Like it's your last chance  
If you want more, more  
Then here I am…_

Dancing with Johanna is actually fun. She has a natural rhythm which I try to copy. I catch Prim's eyes and she waves at me. I wave back and throw my hands in the air enjoying the music.

I don't even notice the fact that there are several people watching Johanna and I until she pulls back to join the guys.

"Wow." Peeta says as I lean my head on his chest. "Do you know how many of these teenage boys were staring at you two?"

"We almost had to intervene," Gale says with a smile. He kisses Johanna. "You were stunning out there."

"I was on a dance crew for a few years," she tells me. "I met Gale at my last show."

I turn to my friend. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"One of my friends was a DJ at the event," he says. "I was helping him set-up and break down his equipment.

"I picked him up after my performance." Johanna grins and wraps an arm around his waist.

We all turn our attention to the dance floor because a slow song is on. Peeta nods over to my left where Rory is watching Derek and Prim dance together. My heart sinks for him.

_I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have  
And cannonball into the water  
I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have  
For you I will  
You always want what you can't have  
But I've got to try…_

"Fuck it," he says suddenly.

Rory throws the cup he's holding at the ground and marches over to the couple. He walks in-between the two and then stops in front of Prim. He takes her face in his hands and looks at her before he gently kisses her. She responds after a moment by pulling him closer.

We are witnessing my sister's first kiss.

"That is about the cutest thing I've ever seen," Johanna says in a hushed voice.

Gale meets my eyes. We both realize that they are why we would have never worked out. It was always supposed to be Prim and Rory.

I turn to Peeta. "I think it's time for us to take off," I tell him. He nods wordlessly and I lead him into the house. "You okay?"

He smiles at me. "Just hard to see her grow up." Peeta has known Prim since she was a two days old.

"This is just the beginning," I reply.

And I'm right because by the time Annie and Finnick's baby shower arrives, Rory is Prim's boyfriend.

++++++

"I can't believe I'm wearing this," I say as I look into the mirror. It is a one shoulder piece dress in a soft brown. The bottom of the very short skirt is frayed. My hair is gathered in a messy bun made of interwoven braids.

Cinna was feeling experimental.

"You look great," Annie assures me. She is in a green maxi dress. I swear she has grown since the last time we've seen her. "Wait till Peeta sees you."

"I look like an idiot," I tell her.

"You look like a jungle beauty," she assures me and then she suddenly rubs her back.

I help her to a chair. "Are you okay? Should I get Finnick?"

"The baby has dropped so we're getting there," she tells me. "I'm also at the heaviest point of this so I'm not surprised that this is happening."

"You'll warn me if anything happens, right?" I tell her. "I'm no good when it comes to that stuff."

A knock interrupts us and Peeta enters. He is in the male version of my outfit and my jaw drops.

Dear God, my husband is hot.

"The temperature in this room has just risen so I'm going to go outside," she tells us. "You both look great." Before she steps out, she turns to us. "I'll try to distract Finnick as long as I can."

When the door closes, Peeta turns back to me. "Is she allowing us to mess around in their bedroom?"

"Technically, this is the guest bedroom," I tell him. "If it was their room then I wouldn't be considering taking her up on the offer."

He approaches me slowly. "Considering it?" Peeta cups my bottom then runs my hand up to my back as he looks into my eyes. "I want you."

I walk to the door and turn the lock. I crook my finger at him. Peeta approaches me and it's reminds me of lion about to pounce on his prey. I push my back against the door as he reaches me. His body presses against mine.

"We're keeping these outifts," I say before I kiss him.

I'm not quite sure how long we are in the room but when the pounding on the door happens I am no longer wearing my dress. We push apart at the noise and I grab the dress from the floor.

"Who is it?" Peeta asks.

"It's Finnick!"

"We'll be out in a minute," I tell him.

"Annie is in labor and we need to you to drive us!" he says through the door. Finnick is silent for a moment. "Are you naked in there?"

Peeta helps me slip the dress back on. "Not anymore."

We open the door to see a bare chested Finnick in a loincloth waiting for us. "I hate to interrupt but my wife's water has broken all over the deck. Prim and Rory will make sure everyone leaves and gets their souvenirs." He is grinning excitedly from ear to ear.

We rush down the stairs where Annie is sitting with Prim in the living room. The expectant mother smiles at me. "Sorry that you didn't finish," she tells me kindly.

Prim looks at my disheveled appearance and then at Peeta. "This is a baby shower, you two. Keep it in your pants or better yet in your jungle wear."

"Everyone let's go," I finally say. "We don't want little Finn coming out right in the middle of his shower."

++++++

"Hey Fruity Pebbles." I awake to see Finnick in scrubs smiling at me. I look up from where I lay on Peeta's lap and see that he is just starting to wake up.

"It's Jane, Finnick," I correct him with a grin. Since we arrived, we have made an impression on the staff.

I guess if you're in labor and come in with three people dressed in skimpy junglewear, you're bound to make an impression.

Poor Annie.

"Well Jane," he continues. "You better wake Tarzan and let him know that your Godson is here." I nod and sit up. "We're down the hall and to the right."

"Congratulations," I say. He beams at me and then is off to see his wife and son.

Peeta is now fully awake. He smiles tiredly. "Morning."

"Your godson is here," I tell him. Standing up, I hold out my hand for him.

"Excuse me…Mrs. Flintstone?" The confused nurse is calling out to me. Now this is getting annoying.

"It's Jane."

"Well whoever you are," she says to me. "Can you have your friend that was wearing the loincloth come and fill out the paperwork?" I nod and she looks over at Peeta smiling. "Tarzan, huh? Is he single?"

"Nope," Peeta tells her and puts an arm around me. "Happily married."

"I should've guessed," she replies. "I hear you are the godparents. Congratulations."

"Thanks." We head the hallway following Finnick's directions. They have the only solo suite on this floor. Figures.

Annie is sitting in bed when we enter and she smiles when we enter. I walk over and give her a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired but happy."

Finnick is by the window rocking the blue bundle that is his son. Walking over quietly, he hands me the bundle. "This is Finnick Jr. or Finn." I look down and see the bronze hair of their baby. The tiny nose is definitely Annie's but the little lip curl is pure Finnick.

I am in love.

When I look at Peeta, the strange look in his eyes is back. Then I realize something.

He wants to have a baby. Weird.

And even weirder. I think he might want one with me.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your patience with this. A series of unfortunate events have occurred this week which include my family finding out that we have to move out of the house I just finished decorating (the owners are selling the property) and two of my good friends/co-workers getting laid off.

The good news is that my cold is finally gone.

There are a lot of things going on in this chapter. Sorry Clove did not make an appearance in this chapter but we will see her in the next one.

There is a tapioca milk tea place in the Outer Richmond District called Purple Kow. They have become really popular because they drinks come in bowl sized cup. I imagine that's where Annie and Katniss are coming from. Don't worry, Annie didn't get anything caffeinated.

Peeta and Katniss have their weekly meeting at Lake Merced which is a picnic area close to the golf course. Lake Merced is one of the three lakes in San Francisco. Anyone know where the other two are?

The Moscone Center is an event space in downtown San Francisco. There are two centers but the one I refer to is the newer one.

Quinceañeras are common in the Latin community here so I know a few people who have had them. Filipinos actually have Debuts though I never had one.

Prim's favorite restaurant is Hard Knox on Clement Street. I too enjoy a good chicken and waffle meal.

The lotion scene with Johanna is taken from a favorite movie of mine. I have a weird taste in movies.

Prim finally knows. She is a mature fifteen so of course she stayed cool.

Don't you just love Rory?

Songs:

"How We Do" sung by Rita Ora

"Starships" sung by Nicki Minaj

"For You I Will (Confidence)" sung by Teddy Geiger

The jungle-themed baby shower idea was inspired by my cousins who are having a shower for their daughter next month. No costumes though.

Reviews are love, PM's and alerts are always appreciated.

Next: The Convention Dinner… and Clove, someone from the past reappears, a little bit about Rye and Prim's new relationship from Peeta' POV.


	11. Part Two: Peeta

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. I just like to mess with them.

The picture shatters  
I can't find the words to save it  
Tell me what to do, how can I make it right  
We will always be fire and ice…

-Poison (Fire and Ice)

Italics=Flashback, song, etc.

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Two, Chapter Ten: Peeta

We call it "Catching Fire".

Finnick would never understand why because it is between my wife and me.

We plan to keep it that way. No matter how much he whines.

We came up with the term six months ago.

_We were lying in our bed with Prim's iPod blaring through the walls. Katniss was laying on her chest and I was on my side turned towards her. I pushed the hair away from her face and her grey eyes blazed from the aftermath of our lovemaking._

_I found myself wondering how grey like her eyes could burn like that. "Strange."_

_"What's strange?" she asked in a soft voice._

_"Your eyes," I replied and she raised her eyebrows at me. "I'm not insulting you. Grey is generally seen as a cool color but your eyes are different. There's fire in them."_

_"From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire," she replied and smiled at my confusion. "Robert Frost poem." Taking her hand, I let her continue. "When we're together, it feels like fire. I like it so much that I always try to hold on to it, try to catch it. Does that make sense?"_

_"I make you want to catch fire?" Katniss nodded and I grinned at her. "I think that's a perfect way to describe when we're together. I'm always going to burn for you, Katniss. I think I always was burning for you. I just want you to know that." My voice catches._

_She sat up suddenly then laid back down on me so our lips could meet. We melted into one another and when I finally pulled away. I looked into her eyes again._

_"You see? I'm catching fire," she told me in a whisper. "Something inside draws me to you. I'm not sure what it is. It frightens me sometimes but it excites me more."_

I think about that now, six months later, as I look around the flower shop near the Castro. The shop is small but their arrangements are beautiful. My mother assures me that the dress that Katniss is wearing is full of fire.

"Can I help you sir?" The girl from behind the counter asks me.

"I need a corsage," I tell her and she grins excitedly.

"That's so sweet!" She looks at me. "Is it for a winter dance or something?" I realize that she thinks I'm still in High School. I guess I can thank my parents for the good genes.

"Actually it's for a convention dinner and it's for my wife," I reply rocking back and forth on my feet.

When I took Clove to the prom, she picked everything out. I just opened my wallet.

With Katniss, I want to do these things. I want to find the right corsage. I want to wear the right suit. Because I finally have the right date. Thinking back, I realize that I should've asked her. Circumstances were different however. She was with Marvel, I was with Clove. That was that.

"Do you know what color her dress is?"

I shake my head. "She wanted it to be a surprise."

The girl nods understandingly. "You're going to want something simple but pretty. Something that will match everything." She goes to the back fridge and pulls out a simple white Hawaiian orchid. "Something like this."

"It's perfect." The petals are pure, white and smooth.

"I'll fix it up for you," she replies and goes to the back room.

I look at my watch. Cinna should be just about finished with Katniss. Something inside me does a backflip and suddenly I realize that it does feel like a prom night. The towncar is outside with the driver waiting patiently. My parents insisted when they found out that we were going to make it our own little prom.

Prim is even staying with them at their insistence. When we dropped her off, she was discussing what color nail polish she was going to put on Carrie's toes.

The girl comes out with the corsage already put into a clear plastic box. "Here you are. I hope that she likes it." It's connected to a simple band so it won't look so garish.

"I think she will," I reply gratefully. "Thank you."

After paying, I go to the car where our driver, Marcus, is waiting. He is older man with a white beard and caramel skin. Opening the door, he gives me a smile. "Did you get what you were looking for?"

"Yes," I reply.

Marcus has been driving our family for years to events. His son went to school with Katniss and me. As I get into the car, I look out into the neighborhood. Most of the businesses are closing up except for the restaurants. Towards the latter part of the night, the clubs in the Castro will open up.

"How is Luke?" I ask him as we drive out of the neighborhood.

"He is good." Marcus makes a turn and we pass Mission Dolores. "It's very different for him in New York. It's good that he's staying with my sister." Luke is going to NYU to study Liberal Arts.

"He's coming back for break, right?"

"Yes, he'll be back next week," he tells me. We make a quick square around the block so that we are directly in front of the salon.

"I can get out myself," I tell Marcus and hop out.

Walking into the salon, Portia gives me a smile. "Hey sweetie," she says when I enter. There is someone in her chair. "You look handsome." She turns to the woman that she is working on. "Isn't he a doll?"

"Very cute," the woman says looking at me. "Is that girl in the dress your wife?"

I nod.

"She's lovely." I grin in agreement.

"Cinna is helping her with the heels," Portia tells me. "Give her a minute."

The curtain to the back room opens. "I'm ready, I'm ready…" My heart stops.

I'm married to the Girl on Fire.

Standing in front of me is Katniss. My knees feel weak looking at her and I have to hold onto the reception desk to steady myself. Her dress is one-shouldered with ruching along her front and tiers of cloth fall to the bottom. The color is dusk orange and I silently thank my Mom for knowing me so well.

Her hair is pulled back and put into a sleek, elegant pompadour with the rest of her hair put into bun at the nape of her neck. She smiles shyly as she approaches me and the click of her heels makes me smile. I know how much she dislikes wearing them but she did it for me and it warms my insides.

"Your tie is crooked," she says as she goes to me. "Let me fix it." Katniss reaches me and starts to adjust my tie. She smells sweet. Her makeup is simple but enhances her features.

I can't help but stare as she works on making me neater. Katniss finally looks up and smiles.

"There." Katniss pats my tie. She finally realizes that I'm staring and put her hands on her hips. "What?"

"Damn you're pretty." I hold out the corsage box and my hands are shaking.

Cinna comes to the rescue and takes the box from me. "You seem a little on edge, Peeta. Do you want me to open this?"

I nod still staring at Katniss. Cinna hands me the corsage and I take her hand. I slip it on her wrist.

"Thanks for coming," I tell her. "I know this isn't your thing."

Katniss wraps her arms around my neck. "This is our night."

A flash comes from the front of us. I look to see that Madge who was at the reception desk is taking a picture. I pull Katniss close putting my arms around her waist. I smile so she can take another picture.

"Our little married babies are all grown up," Portia says with a teasing grin.

"Remember, no glove, no love," Cinna tell us.

Katniss turns red. "Cinna!"

Madge hugs us both. "Have fun you two!"

After a final group photo, courtesy of Portia's client, we head out to the car. I open the door for Katniss and she slips in.

When I finally settle myself, Katniss puts her hand on my face so she can draw me in for a kiss. I gladly let her stamp her lips over mine. She looks over to the front at Marcus.

"Marcus, would you mind if I put the privacy window up?" she asks.

He shakes his head and I can tell he's smiling. "Of course not."

"Thank you." She reaches over me and flips the switch. I inhale her sweet scent as she brushes her body against me.

When she is back in her seat, she wraps her arms around my neck again. Katniss runs her lips over mine. I lose all brain function, focused solely on the really hot dark haired woman in front of me. She pulls away briefly, her mouth ghosting over mine. "We have twenty minutes. Do you think that we have enough time?"

I run my hand up her thigh and she straddles me carefully. I grin up at her.

"There's only one way to find out."

++++++

Katniss is still immaculate when we arrive at the Moscone Center. Her hair is still in place and her dress is neat. I, on the other hand, look like I've been standing on the platform of the Powell Street station and the BART just passed by. My hair is a mussed and I'm sure that my pants are wrinkled.

What did I expect when I let Katniss yank them off me?

I am just zipping up when Marcus opens the door. Katniss takes his hand so that she can get out of the car. When she is on the sidewalk, Katniss looks into the car and gives me a sly wink.

"You coming?" she says and I glare at her. Sometimes I really don't understand how she gets me to do things like this.

"I'm coming," I grumble and get out. Katniss grins as I reach the sidewalk and try to smooth my pants. "Why can I never say no to you?"

She rolls her eyes, a trait inherited by Johanna. "Please. I didn't force you into anything." I huff and cross my arms. Katniss looks over at me with a pout. "Don't be mad. Remember, it's our night." She kisses the corner of my mouth and I pull her closer to me so I can give her a real kiss.

I hear a cough behind me. We turn to Marcus who is flushed with embarrassment. "I found some stockings in the back. I'm assuming that you don't need them." He looks over at Katniss. Then he turns to me. "Just give me a call when you're ready."

"Thanks Marcus." I hand him some cash. "Get some dinner."

He bows and then quickly waves at Katniss before going into the car. We walk into the building arm in arm. The lobby is decorated with giant origami lights. The check-in table is to our right and there is plush navy blue carpet under us.

"No stockings tonight?" I ask her in mock horror. "What will the people say?"

The crowd around us is just starting to check in. Many of the women are admiring Katniss's dress. Most of them are wearing black, burgundy or green for the holidays. She is the flame in the middle of all the icy décor.

The men look at her delicate profile and her smooth skin then they look at me. I pull her closer.

'Yes, she is mine', I tell them with my eyes.

"If they think that's bad then they probably shouldn't know that I'm not wearing panties either," she whispers in my ear.

I turn to her in shock. I don't know how that didn't register in my mind during our moment in the car.

"Name?" Katniss swats my arm and I look at the woman who is seating at the registration table.

"M-Mellark," I stammer and my wife takes my arm.

"Peeta and Katniss Mellark," she tells the woman smoothly.

"Thank you." The woman checks us off.

I can hear the music playing from the interior room. I look over at her and she smiles softly.

"It's just as it's meant to be," I tell her softly and then pull her to me. I don't care who sees us. I take her face in my hands and kiss her.

Now that's catching fire.

I pull away and her eyes are still closed. It reminds me of the first time that I really kissed her. When we were making that prenup that we mostly follow.

"I better touch up my lipstick," she says. Her lips fall into a small grin and Katniss finally opens her eyes. "Wait for me."

"Always." She walks to the nearby restroom. I grin to myself and observe the crowd. We can leave after a dance or two, I figure.

"I knew that you would be here too." My insides freeze at the voice.

I whisper to myself. "Please don't be Clove, please don't be Clove…" I turn and see the one person I didn't want to see smiling at me. "Hello Clove."

"Hi Peeta." Clove stands before me in a skintight white dress and very high silver heels. Her dark hair is piled on top of her head and she has a wreath of diamonds around her neck. A Harry Winston that probably belongs to her mother. "You're looking well since the last time I saw you."

"Hello Clove," I reply wryly. "You look…well also." She smiles at me and the redness of her lips reminds me of blood.

"I missed you," Clove says and takes my arm. I removed myself from her grasp. "How's the little wife?"

"The little wife is just fine. Hello Clove." Katniss is in front of me and she walks over with an icy smile. Her dress moves like slow flames around her. Even Clove is taken aback by her elegance. As Katniss moves closer, I can see the anger in her eyes.

"Katniss," Clove says stiffly and her eyes are narrow. 'Little' was not the best way to describe my wife as she towers over the Clove. "I hear congratulations are in order."

My wife nods. "Thank you." Then she looks at me with a smile. "Let's go in."

I wrap my arm around her waist and then nod at Clove who is fuming.

Katniss and I walk into the room and the unpleasantness of the encounter is forgotten. The room has white cloth on round tables. There are tall, leafless trees around and the lighting is a cool blue. The round origami lights hang in different heights and I realize that they are trying to mimic snow.

"It's like a winter's night in here," Katniss says in amazement. "That's the drawback to living here sometimes. No snow."

"If you want snow," I tell her. "I'll give you snow."

"Can you magically do that now?" she asks me.

"Yes." Katniss laughs at my matter-of-fact tone.

"Peeta!" I turn to see Mr. Antonelli who owns an Italian-American bakery in the Mission. My father and he have been friends for years. He is also one of the heads of this convention dinner. He hugs me tightly. "Your father said that you would be here. How are he and your mother?"

"Dad is fine but Mom has her good days and her bad days," I tell him sadly. He nods sympathetically. He had lost his own wife, Antonia, to cancer about five years ago.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He looks over at Katniss. "Your father said that you got married too."

"Oh yes! This is my wife, Katniss." I introduce them.

Mr. Antonelli kisses both her cheeks and hugs her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too sir," she replies.

"Sir? We're practically family! You call me Uncle Bobbo," he demands. "Your children will call me Papa Bobbo!"

I blush at the statement. Since I saw Katniss holding little Finn in the hospital, thoughts of dark haired, blue eyed little children invade my mind sometimes. I know we are young but I can't help but think of how wonderful a mother she would be.

"We're not quite done being newlyweds," I tell him.

"Oh, of course," he says with big eyes. "Amore…" Mr. Antonelli smiles fondly. "I know a little something about that." He looks around. "Grab some food and have a seat you two. I will talk to you later." With a pat on each shoulder, he is off.

"Wow, he's like a tornado," Katniss remarks as we walk over to the food.

The table is full of small yet delicious finger foods. At the far end is a chocolate fountain. We both grab a bunch of different foods and pick a table close to dance floor.

When we sit down, Katniss takes a bite of a canapé and moans. My head nearly explodes. "That was delicious."

I lean towards her so I can whisper in her ear. "You have no idea. The effect you can have." I touch the bare part of her back and my hand is electrified.

"I do know," she replies. "It's the same effect that you have on me." Our lips meet and when I pull away, Katniss is smiling gently. "Let's go soon."

However each time we attempt to leave, we are accosted by one of my parents' friends. They greet us at our table and make small talk. They ask about our wedding, how we met, and how I proposed. I guess it's rare to have couples who don't care about having big weddings especially when their families can afford it like mine.

Katniss does well for someone who doesn't like to make small talk. She answers questions with a friendly smile and asks great questions. All the while, I can see Clove at the corner of my eye holding a champagne glass and glaring at my wife.

We go back to our seats when I see Mr. Antonelli ready to greet the crowd on stage. He beams at everyone when he reaches the mic.

"Welcome to this year's Culinary Convention dinner in fabulous San Francisco!" Everyone claps and some of the men who are already drunk whoop at him from the bar. "How is everyone doing tonight?" The crowd goes wild and everyone else claps loudly. "I am Dario "Bobbo" Antonelli, one of the chairs for this event."

He looks around and catches my eyes. Mr. Antonelli winks at me.

Oh no.

"I wanted to announce some news before we start dancing. One of our former chairs, Tom Mellark, has decided to retire." A general sound of discontent is heard through the room. My father is very popular. "The good news is that he has left his bakery in the capable hands of his youngest, Peeta!" The crowd applauds and Katniss grabs my hand. I look down. "Stand up, Peeta!"

Reluctantly, I stand and wave to the crowd. I hear a whistle near me and I look over to see that it is Katniss. She is laughing at my embarrassment.

"I am also excited to announce that he has recently married! Stand up, gorgeous!" I pull my wife gently up and she stumbles a little as she stands. "Since we were all not invited to their very small wedding." Mr. Antonelli gives me a stern look though I know he is joking. "I think that they should at least let us witness their first dance as husband and wife, right?"

The crowd applauds loudly.

I turn to Katniss. "Shall we?"

She looks at me nervously. "Do we have a choice?"

"Probably not." I hold out my hand and she takes it so we can go to the middle of the dance floor.

"This song I'm sure is very familiar to you, Peeta," Mr. Antonelli states before pointing to the DJ. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to present Mr. and Mrs. Peeta Mellark."

I put my hand on her waist drawing her close. When she hears the guitar notes, Katniss gasps and looks at me.

"Is this?"

"Yup."

"It really is like prom." Katniss wraps her arms around my neck and laughs into my ear.

_Saying I love you,  
Is not the words,  
I want to hear from you,  
It's not that I want you,  
Not to say but if you only knew,  
How easy,  
it would be to show me how you feel..._

_More than words,  
is all you have to do,  
to make it real,  
Then you wouldn't have to say,  
that you love me,  
Cause I'd already know…_

"How did Mr. Antonelli know that we danced to this song?" she asks as we sway together.

I duck my head hoping that my answer doesn't sound too pathetic. I take a breath and then look up at her.

"After we danced to this," I tell her softly. "I listened to this song all the time. Mr. Antonelli just happened to be at my house one day when it was on repeat. My Dad told him that I listened to it because I had danced with the girl that I was in love with to this song."

"Oh Peeta."Katniss's mouth is trembling. "We wasted a lot of time, didn't we?"

"We all can't be a badass like Rory." I smile thinking of the bold move of the much younger boy.

I feel like we're in high school again and I'm begging her in my mind to say something. I knew full well then that she wasn't ready and neither was I. Katniss presses herself closer to me and our foreheads are pressed against each other.

Her breath smells of caramel from one of the pastries she's eaten. Her lips are moving and she is looking at me. It takes a moment for me to realize that Katniss is singing to me.

_Now that I've tried to,  
talk to you and make you understand,  
All you have to do,  
is close your eyes,  
And just reach out your hands,  
and touch me,  
Hold me close don't ever let me go…_

"Why don't you sing more?" I ask her.

"It reminds me too much of my Dad." Her eyes fill with tears.

"No tears." I use my thumb to wipe the tear that falls from the corner of one of her eyes. "Nobody leaves the prom crying unless someone spiked the punch."

Katniss laughs and the song has ended. She gives me a clumsy, mocking curtsy. I bow in return.

"Let's go?" I take her hand and we are about to head to the door when Clove is in front of us. This time she has brought her date, a tall familiar looking blond boy. Clove grins at me wickedly willing me to remember.

Shit.

"Hi Marvel," Katniss says easily.

He looks her up and down then smiles back. Then he turns to me and smiles at me also. It's not malicious. In fact, he almost looks at me…nervously.

"Hi Katniss," Marvel greets her back. "You look so grown-up. How are you?"

"Good." Katniss looks surprised at his friendly tone.

"Congratulations," he tells us both and even shakes my hand. "May I dance with the bride?"

Katniss looks at me and I reluctantly nod. He leads her to the floor again.

Clove licks her lips and grabs my hand. "Let's dance."

She drags me to the dance floor pulling me close. I look over to where Katniss is dancing. They seem to be talking and Katniss is laughing at something that he's said. The jealousy rises in my body and I can feel my body tense up. Clove's eyes follow mine to where the other couple is.

"They look really good together," she remarks. "We looked really good together."

"Clove, stop." I still my movements. "That's not happening."

She moves her mouth closer to my ear. "Come on Peeta. I think she's fine with Marvel. He's keeping her nice and entertained." She runs a hand down my arm. "I know somewhere we could go for some privacy."

"You don't touch my husband, Clove. " Katniss is standing behind me and I can hear her voice. It's so full of anger. I will my body to not react. "Not now, not ever."

Clove tilts her head and smiles maliciously. "Oh but I have touched him. I had him way before you."

"You may have had him once but I have him for the rest of our lives." Katniss holds up her left hand where her ring is. "This means something to us and obviously it doesn't to you."

I'm aware that there are people staring at the four of us. Marvel goes to Clove putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's go," he tells her firmly. Clove is seething and she lets him turn her away from us. Before he leaves, Marvel looks at us. "Thanks for dance, Katniss. Talk to him?" She nods and he gives me a small wave. "Nice seeing you, Peeta."

Katniss looks at me and then smiles at me. "Now it's time to go."

I heartily agree and we are rushing out the door before we can be accosted. Outside as we wait for Marcus, I look to her. "What was with Marvel?"

"He wants to talk to us," she says to me. "Tomorrow, he lives near the mechanic shop and want to meet us there if possible. What do you think?"

"I guess." The air has a bite in it. There's no rain and no snow but we can definitely tell that it's winter. "He seemed different."

"Marvel was always nice but he never seemed to care about anything in High School. He was just kind of there," she tells me. "He seems a little more grounded now. Oh and Clove practically begged him to come with her."

Marcus pulls up and I let Katniss in. When I am seated, I take the bag that I prepared and hand it to her.

I put the privacy window up again. "Put this stuff on," I tell her and then proceed to remove my suit jacket. I remove my shoes and then put on some boots that I brought with me.

Katniss is still looking into the bag. "What is this?"

I grin at her. "Some after prom fun."

"Well I taught we were going somewhere for some after prom fun," she replies and my cheeks warm.

"I promise." I throw on my peacoat. "We will have that kind of fun later. Right now, I suggest you put on what I've given you."

Katniss gives me one last pointed look then shimmies on the socks, black leggings and slips on the parka jacket last. She leaves the dress on.

"I feel like an idiot," she says and then I give her a pair of UGG boots. "Now I feel doubly stupid."

"You look like a snow princess," I reply and kiss the tip of her nose.

The car stops and I help her out of the car. She looks up at the giant Christmas tree in the middle of Union Square. Marcus hands me a box from the trunk of the car.

"Thanks Marcus."

He bows his head. "I'll go park the car boss."

"Let's go," I tell Katniss and I lead her up the steps. The ice rink is set up close to the tree. "Bet this looks familiar."

"Of course." Katniss smiles and I know the memory is resurfacing.

When we were in High School, Katniss and I took French for three years. During the holidays, our teacher would take us ice skating and then to a French restaurant in the Financial District. I was never good at skating but Katniss was. I use to watch her skate with Marvel. Once, however, she took the time to teach me.

"I thought we could see if my lesson actually helped." The rink is empty so there is no one to ridicule me if I fall.

Katniss is already laced up when I check in with my friend who works at the rink. He was nice enough to leave it open just for us. Across the street is the Westin St. Francis where we will be staying.

"Come on then." Katniss has me sit on a bench close to us and helps me lace up. She is on her knees as she does this. Her tongue is sticking out a little from the corner of her mouth as she works.

She tugs the laces to make sure that they are tight and then looks up at me. "All done." Katniss gets up and then pulls me up so we can go to the rink together.

Katniss is on the ice first. The hem of her dress is thankfully short enough so it does not drag on the ice but reaches her ankles. She does a quick round around the ice before she comes for me.

"Come on, Peeta," she says with an encouraging smile.

I hold tightly to the railing and get onto the ice. Since they have already smoothed out the ice, it is even more slippery. Katniss watches as I try to steady myself.

"Keep your ankles straight and strong," she tells me. "Bend your knees slightly."

I do what I am told and am surprised to see that my butt is not on the ground. "I'm doing it," I say with a smile.

She holds out her hand. "Then let's skate to the middle together." I look at her in disbelief. "Trust me."

I take both her hands and she guides me skating backwards to the center of the rink. After we have reached the center, she lets go of me and does a little circle around me.

"Good job," she says. Grinning at her, I pull her into my arms and kiss her. Her lips are cold from the weather but when I slip my tongue into her mouth I find warmth. She hums into my mouth.

When we pull away, my fears of being on the ice are assuaged by the thought of being in her warmth.

"Wow," she whispers and her eyes are wide. "I never felt so cold and warm at the same time."

"Fire and ice," I tell her with a smile. "A dangerous combination but it can also be very pleasurable." Katniss looks with desire in her eyes before she makes me do a round with her around the rink.

She continues to take me around the ice until I am at least, a mediocre skater. Katniss is beautiful as she dances around the ice and her dress dances with her like flames. Her face is pale because of the cold weather but her cheeks are crimson. She looks young and free. I can still see a trace of the young girl with two braids in her.

"I'm so tired," she tells me as we finally get off the ice. I guide her to the bench and help her remove her skates. "You don't have to do that."

"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't help you remove your ice skates?" I stop myself from saying that I will probably have to help our children removes their skates. Something hurts in me suddenly.

"Are you alright?" she asks from where she sits and then lifts my chin. "You had a big smile on your face and then it just fell."

"It was nothing important." I help her put on her UGG boots then get on the bench to remove my own skates. When I am done, we go to Marcus who takes the box with our skates and he hands me an envelope with our keys to the room.

"Have a good night you two," he says with a salute. "Happy Holidays."

"You too, Marcus." I take Katniss's hand and we walk down the steps. As we cross the street, I can feel the underground pull cables for the cable car that usually travels up Powell Street. The doorman tips his hand at us when we reach the entrance. Katniss looks at me curiously. "My parents know a lot of the staff here. Two of Wheaton's weddings were here."

"Which two?" We walk into the lobby and she looks around in awe.

"The first two," I tell her. "Carrie was the only one who didn't want the big wedding. Her only stipulation was that the ceremony was in church."

We get onto the elevator and Katniss puts her head on my shoulder. I can tell that she is tired. It is well past midnight. When we reach our floor, I let her lean against me as we walk down the hallway and I find our room towards the end of the hallway.

Using the card I open the door and Katniss gasps. The room is a light blue with gold accents. A small chandelier lights the room and she looks up at it as I help her out of her parka jacket. Her smooth shoulder catches my eyes and I place my lips on it.

She moans softly and then turns around to face me pressing her mouth to mine.

I guess she is not as tired as I thought.

Katniss remains silent as she removes my tie and then slowly undoes the buttons of my shirt. Untucking it, she pushes it off at my shoulders and Katniss kisses the spot above my chest. I sigh and unzip the back of her dress slowly.

Pulling back, she lets it fall to the ground and steps back. Then she removes the leggings that she's wearing. "You were completely naked under there?" My voice comes out tight.

She nods with a smirk. "I thought I'd keep things simple." Katniss undoes my belt and I help her so that I am in the same state of undress at her.

We look at one another for a moment. We have seen each other naked many times though my fascination with her body has not changed for me. Her smooth back and long neck are parts of her that I would kiss and explore for hours if she allowed me.

"Now," she begins and reaches for the tie that she had thrown to the floor. "Put your arms up."

I smile at her. I did this to her last time and it's only fair…

Putting my arms above my head, I let her bound my wrists.

I crook my eyebrow at her. "Are things about to get weird?"

Leading me over to the bed, she makes me sit at the edge and then sits on the ground tucking her feet underneath her.

Katniss looks up to me and her grey eyes are smoky. "Something like that."

++++++

"Ow," I say as I rub my wrists. "A little rough on the knotting last night, Katniss."

She elbows me as we walk down the street to the mechanic shop to meet Marvel. "Stop complaining."

"I'm not complaining," I reply though I look at my wrists. There is a little redness.

"You weren't complaining last night." Katniss kisses the spot right behind my ear and I shiver. The feeling travels downward.

"How can I complain? When you do shit like that to me while we're arguing?"

"Cursing? It's so not like you, Peeta," she retorts as we walk into the shop.

"Well you make me do a lot of things that are not like me."

Katniss grins cheekily and then goes to greet Delly behind the desk. I look for Marvel and then spot him in the office talking to Rye. They seem to be arguing about something. There's something about it that seems familiar.

A tilt of the neck from my brother and a smile from Marvel then Rye takes his hand.

Wait.

My heart drops when I realize the familiarity of their actions. They fight like Katniss and I do.

Like a couple does.

I don't realize that Katniss is standing beside me. "Holy crap. Is your brother holding hands with my ex?"

I nod my head in disbelief.

"Thank God, I thought I had finally lost it." We watch as Delly goes into the office and speaks to them before pointing us out. Rye's face visibly pales when he sees me but he still grips Marvel's hand. "We should go to them."

She tugs me and holds my hand as we walk to the office. My feet feel like lead.

When we enter, Rye meets my eyes and I can see fear in his eyes. It is so strange to see fear in his eyes. Rye is the one who is so outgoing and so brave. I was always the optimistic one. Wheaton was always the closed off one, the square one.

"I'm going to leave you all alone now," Delly says and pats my shoulder before she closes the door to the office.

It is silent for a moment.

"So was this what you wanted to tell me?" Katniss asks Marvel calmly. She has always been straightforward.

"Yes," Marvel replies looking at her.

"And how long has this been going on?" She gestures at their joined hands.

"A little after you graduated from High School," Rye tells her. "That's how we met. Nothing ever happened while you were together."

"Have you always been into guys?" she asks Marvel. "Did I turn you or something?"

He laughs at her words. "Of course not. You have to have realized that we lacked a certain chemistry?"

"I just thought you were just shy!" Marvel laughs at her words and she grins at him. "You left prom with Glimmer!"

"Glimmer is my cousin," he tells her. "I'm gay not incestuous." Katniss bursts into a fit of laughter and Marvel joins her.

Even Rye does but he sobers when he sees my face. I have been silent throughout all of this.

"Peeta, say something," he coaxes me gently.

"You were checking out Madge."

He looks confused. "What?"

"At our wedding ceremony," I reply.

Rye shakes his head. "She knows. I was telling her to not mention anything. She wanted me to bring Marvel to the dinner."

"You were the one who was so good with girls," I say to him.

"It's easy to have insight into something that you're not partial to," he tells me and turns to Katniss. "No offense."

"None taken." Katniss holds my hand and rubs her thumb against mine. She is trying to comfort me.

"No wonder your advice about girls sucked so much," I say before I realize what I'm saying.

Rye laughs. "Sorry about that little bro."

"I could have been with Katniss sooner if it weren't for you."

"I don't think I would have had any problem with you stealing her from me," Marvel adds.

"I feel like a piece of meat right now," Katniss tells us.

"Peeta, please don't hate me," Rye says suddenly and I see that the reason for his fear is me.

I have always wanted Rye's acceptance as something more than just his little brother.

I can see that what he wants desperately is my acceptance.

"Of course, I don't hate you." Relief fills his tense body and I can see that he is on the verge of tears. "You're my brother." Rye nods in agreement before he begins to weep. I pull him into my arms. "We're okay." Holding in this secret has taken a toll on him.

I look up to see Katniss grinning with Marvel's arm loosely around her shoulder. Our eyes meet and she mouths that she loves me.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" I ask when we pull away.

He shakes my head. "No. It will kill them."

"It won't. Nothing can shock Mom more than my announcing that I'm going to marry Katniss," I assure him and he laughs through his tears.

I go to Marvel and hold out my hand. He shakes it happily. "You should come to dinner tonight and meet the rest of the family. Plus Prim is tired of playing Scrabble with Rye. He uses too many small words for her to be challenged."

"Hey!" Rye glares at me. Marvel consolingly puts an arm around him.

Later that evening, we all stand outside the front door of the house. I feel my own nervousness rising.

Rye turns to me and his eyes are asking for assurance.

"I'm right behind you." He nods understanding my words.

Taking Marvel's hand, he opens the door and they walk in together.

Katniss turns to me. She takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. "I'm really proud of you, Peeta."

"People change all the time," I tell her.

I think of how Wheaton is trying to accept his impending fatherhood, how Rye is coming out to our family and how I gathered enough courage to tell her how much I have loved her. I think that there may be hope for Katniss to change her mind about one day having a baby with me. It might take five…ten…fifteen years from now but I can wait for her.

"You just have to be willing to accept it."

++++++

"Dude, did you know that I caught Rory and Prim making out?" Gale tells me before he take a sip of his strawberry drink. "Is it possible to want to choke my own brother for touching someone who is like my little sister?"

The loud horns of the salsa music over the speakers of the Taqueria distract me for a moment. "You should've," I reply after swallowing the piece of the crispy taco that I was eating. "I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't know how he suddenly became enemy number one to me."

"I guess when you desperately want to keep your sister's virtue intact it happens," he replies.

Gale and I meet up once in awhile whenever I'm in the Mission. He works part-time at Bi-Rite as a cashier. Since our fight, we had reached an agreement of sorts which sort of melded into a friendship. He can be pretty easy to talk but is blunt to a fault like Katniss.

"How is Johanna?"

"She's good," he tells me. "We will be having a rough few days coming up."

"Why? Exams?"

"No, her family," he tells me. Johanna rarely talked about her family. I do know that they lived in Daly City. Gale's face is somber. "Her brothers were part of a race crew. There was a bad accident and it killed them both. Her mother died a little after that. She couldn't take the pain of losing the two boys. Johanna has no one in her family left. Their death anniversary is coming up."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

We are silent for a moment but the ringing on my phone interrupts us. "I'm going to take this outside." I walk out and unlock my phone. "Hey Haymitch."

"Hey." He sounds unnaturally…sober. "I have some news. We have a new supervisor here who is cracking down on cases and Snow is worried that he is being taken down. I tried to convince Snow that Effie and I am handling your case well. He's not convinced."

My stomach drops. "What happens now?"

"Next week you meet him," he tells me. "You better break the news to your wife so you can prepare."

"Thanks Haymitch."

"Effie and I will be there too. I'll call you later."

I hang up and go into the Taqueria to tell Gale that I have to go home. He bids me goodbye.

Getting into my car, I begin my drive home thinking about how I'm going to tell Katniss about this interview with Snow.

I'm so distracted that I don't even notice the car to my left that has run the red light.

Then the world goes black.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Don't hate me!

So you finally get to find it out what they call it. I had planned to keep a secret forever. Also, I had no idea what it was until it popped into my mind suddenly.

"Fire and Ice" is a poem by Robert Frost.

Thank you for all your support and kind words in regards to all the craziness in my life. I have found no home yet unfortunately. I also hate the fact that the owner keeps on scheduling all these open houses during inconvenient hours like on weekday evenings. Nothing is worse than seeing someone look through my walk-in closet.

I know that I usually add some smut but I heard through one of my reviewers that they are cracking down on this site. I don't want to risk the chance of being taken off the site so I have to keep it a little clean for now…until we find out what's going on.

Sorry but I didn't get to really talk about Prim's new relationship as much but I feel like Rye's relationship needed more time. I'm from San Francisco and am supportive of LGBT community. I can't write a San Francisco story and not have a couple who are not same sex oriented, right? Besides Delly and Chloe. It's just the way of the world.

"More Than Words" is sung by Extreme.

Union Square usually has an ice skating rink set up during the holidays. They also have the giant Christmas tree there too. I went to a lighting two years ago and it was crazy crowded but so much fun.

My French teacher actually did take us skating and then to the same French restaurant during the holidays.

The Westin St. Francis is across the street from Union Square and the cable car line is along that street.

The flower shop that is mentioned is based on Church Street Flowers close to the Castro.

Reviews are my beacon of light right now. Alerts and PM's are also appreciated.

Happy Father's Day!

Next: The aftermath from Katniss's POV.


	12. Part Two: Katniss

All characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

We were drawn from the weeds  
We were brave like soldiers  
Falling down under the pale moonlight  
You were holding to me  
Like a someone broken  
And I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart  
Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down…

-Rob Thomas (Ever the Same)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Two, Chapter Eleven: Katniss

They say that when something happens to someone you love; you get some sort of sign.

For Prim, it was the sudden chill that made the hair rise in the back of her neck.

For Mom, it was waking up in a cold sweat that had nothing to do with her chemo.

For Rye, it was the call from the tow service saying that they were bringing in a vintage car that was just wrecked. He had heard this before but for some reason this one made him freeze in place.

And for me, it was the sudden stillness of living room that I stood in. The air seemed to stop. I felt like I needed to escape it. My first instinct was to go outside and as I whipped the door open I was greeted by Haymitch’s panicked face.

“Sweetheart.” He hands me a helmet. “We need to go.”

++++++

He doesn’t talk during the twenty minute drive to wherever we’re going and he never gave me a chance to ask what was going on. I realize that this is the first time I’ve been on a motorcycle.

I almost throw up when we reach the entrance to San Francisco General Hospital.

As soon as the bike’s engine is silenced, I jump from my seat and pull my helmet off. “WHAT IS GOING ON?”

“Katniss, there’s been an accident,” Haymitch says studying my face. “Peeta was on his way home and a car ran a red light hitting his car.”

The whole world seems to crash.

It’s like I’m floating above my body watching the scene before me. This can’t be happening.

“Why didn’t anyone call me?” I ask numbly and I turn to him angrily. I’m his wife. I should be the first to know. Not this drunken idiot.

“When the police found his phone, they called the last person he spoke to,” he tells me. “Which was me.”

I don’t know where the rage is coming from but I am so mad.

Mad at Haymitch for not telling me before we came, mad at him for being the first to know and mad because I feel so lost that I’m finding it hard to breathe.

“I’m his WIFE!” I yell and I am suddenly hitting him. “It’s not fair. It’s not fair!” I land one hit to his cheek that I’m sure will bruise.

Haymitch grabs my wrists. “Watch it, Katniss. I’m only letting you do this because as soon as his mama comes, you’re going to have to be calm.” He lets go of them and my wrists fall helplessly to my sides. “Now let’s go in so we can talk to his Doctor.”

When we walk in, I go to the reception desk to check in. The bored security guard looks at us. He looks at Haymitch a little longer because of the swelling on his face. “Name of the patient?”

“Peeta Mellark,” I force myself to say.

The guard types into the computer next to him and then looks at me again. “And who are you?”

“Katniss Mellark, his wife,” I reply shakily and suddenly tears spring to my eyes. I feel Haymitch drape an arm around me.

The guard nods and hands us two sticker badges. “You’re going to go down the hall and make a right into ICU.”

“ICU?” I almost fall over but Haymitch props me up.

“Come on sweetheart,” he urges. “Let’s go find out what’s going on.”

++++++

We walk down the long hallway and I’m surprised when I see Gale and Johanna sitting in the lounge area. When Gale spots me, he runs over to us. Johanna remains frozen and pale in her seat.

“What are you doing here?” I ask hoarsely.

“I was walking back to the market when I heard the ambulance,” he tells me softly. “I didn’t think anything of it until I passed by and saw the car. They were towing it away.” His eyes fill. “It was wrecked on the driver’s side.”

I choke back a sob. Johanna is up and pulling me into her arms.

“Has anyone come out?” Haymitch asks.

“No one will tell us anything,” Gale replies. “I told them I was his cousin but they will only give information to immediate family.”

“You’ll have to call on that phone,” Johanna says to me and points to the phone next to the heavy double doors.

She leads me over. Picking up the phone tentatively, I listen and the wait for someone to pick up.

“ICU.” The voice says.

“I want to see my husband, Peeta Mellark.”

“We’ll buzz you in,” the voice replies.

Hanging up, we hear a beep and the doors open. Everyone gathers at the entrance. I look over at Johanna.

“Will you come with me?” I barely recognize my voice. It sounds so feeble.

“Of course,” she tells me.

I look over at the two men. Turning to Gale, I tell him to pick Prim up from school.

Haymitch approaches me, he looks panicked. “Give me something to do.”

“Call Peeta’s family,” I instruct him and hand him my cell. I touch his bruised face and he flinches. “Call Effie and put some ice on your face.” He looks at me before he nods.

Together Johanna and I walk into the closed ward. It is silent and only the sounds of the machines beeping and whirring in different rooms can be heard. I go to the nurses’ station and a tired looking woman in scrubs looks up.

“You’re the wife?” she asks looking at me and I nod. Then she looks at Johanna.

“This is my sister,” I tell her and the woman stares for a moment before nodding. She clearly doesn’t believe me.

“He is in Room Five, I will page Dr. Grant to talk to you about his prognosis,” she says.

I look above the rooms to where the numbers are marked and find Room Five only a few steps away. The curtain in front of the enclosed room is pulled to hide my husband. We walk together and push the curtain back.

A nurse looks at us and gives us a small smile. “Which one of you is his wife?”

“I am,” I say as I walk over to Peeta. He looks so pale and the bruises on his face look so pronounced because of it. “How is he?”

“His vitals are stable,” the nurse replies. “We have to sedate him while he heals. When Dr. Grant comes in, he can talk to you about everything else. My name is Evelyn and I’ll be Peeta’s night nurse. Call if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” She leaves, pulling the curtains to give us privacy. I go over and touch his face carefully. His head is wrapped and he has an IV implanted in his arm. “Peeta, baby, can you hear me?” I kiss him carefully. “I’m here.” I turn to Johanna. “Do you think that he can hear me?”

“It doesn’t hurt to try, Katniss,” Johanna says and carefully squeezes Peeta’s hand looking over at him. “You have to get better. Your wife is a wreck without you.”

I look over at her and realize that she has been in my shoes. I remember Johanna’s story about her brothers who she lost when she was only seventeen. It was followed by her mother’s heart attack, a year later.

“How did you do it?” I ask her. “How did you sit in a room like this?”

“I wanted a chance to hope,” she said from where she sits. “We lost Teddy so suddenly but Jon held on for a week until he just… succumbed to the injuries. That week, I talked to him. I told him about what I wanted to do with my degree and the bad date I had before the accident. I told him that he was a good brother…” Her face crumbles.

“Did talking make you feel better?”

“It helped me say goodbye,” she replies.

I look over at Peeta and then back at her. “I can’t say goodbye to him.”

“We don’t know anything yet—“

“I’ve always done everything with Peeta,” I tell her. “Since were kids. Hell, I married him Jo.”

A knock interrupts us and an older man with greying hair enters. He gives us a friendly smile. “My name is Dr. Grant and I am the attending Doctor here in ICU.”

I stand and go to shake his hand. “I’m Katniss Mellark, Peeta’s wife.”

Johanna shakes his hand. “I’m Johanna, her sister.”

“Are any other family members coming?” he inquires.

“My in-laws are on their way,” I tell him and then look over at Peeta. “Can you tell me what happened to my husband?”

“He was driving when a car ran the light and slammed into the driver’s side,” he tells me. “From what the EMT guys told me, the good thing was that at the speed he was driving, the other driver hit more of the engine in oppose to his door. He wouldn’t be here if that was the latter.”

“Why the bandage on his head?” Johanna asks.

“He suffered a concussion which should heal,” he says and then he goes to Peeta’s left. “My bigger concern is the area of the impact. Did any of the police officers speak to you?”

I shake my head. “No, they informed my uncle of the accident.”

He pulls back the cover on Peeta’s left leg. Or what’s left of his leg. I sway staring at the mangled flesh of what was once my husband’s beautiful, muscular leg. I grab the rail of the bed to stop myself from falling over.

Dr. Grant covers it quickly.

“He was trapped in the car,” the doctor tells me. “There was too much damage by the time they were able to get the Jaws of Life over to the accident.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright? Have a seat.” He pulls a chair to me and I sit down still staring at Peeta. “Would you like us to get you anything?”

I am faintly aware of Johanna rubbing my back. I shake my head. “I don’t want anything.” Looking up at Dr. Grant’s concerned face; I ask him the question that I don’t want to know the answer to. “Will he live?”

“This is what I want to talk to you about,” he tells me. Pulling a chair next to me, he looks into my eyes. “There is too much damage to his leg.” Dr. Grant is holding Peeta’s chart and pulls out a piece of paper from it. He takes a pencil out and draws the lower half of the body. “This is the area of impact.” He shades the area going from Peeta’s left foot to above his knee. “This has been damaged permanently so my recommendation is the removal of the area.” He draws a straight line above the knee.

“You want to amputate,” I say and he confirms my words with a nod. “What is the alternate?”

“We could observe the area and give him antibiotics though the risk of infection is high,” Dr. Grant replies. “He will not walk on this leg, Katniss. Peeta will spend his life in a wheelchair. If there is an infection while he is here or when he leaves then I do not think he will survive.”

“So there isn’t really a choice?”

“Everyone has a choice, Katniss.” Dr. Grant sits back. “You are his wife so you have to make this choice for him. I think that you will know what to do.”

I am silent for a moment though I know what I need to do.

“I’ve made my choice,” I tell him. He seems to understand. “I have to let our family know.”

“I’ll assemble my team and begin prepping.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’re making the right decision, you know. You are giving him a chance.”

I nod my head solemnly. “Let’s hope he understands when he wakes up.”

Dr. Grant leaves and Johanna kneels in front of me. “You did the right thing, Katniss.”

“I did it for selfish reasons,” I tell her in whisper. “Because I can’t live without that man, Johanna.” I wrap my arms around myself as the sobs begin to wrack my body. Nothing matters outside of this room. “I did it because nothing works without him. My life doesn’t work without him.”

Johanna pulls me to her. “You saved his life.” She pushes the hair from my face and kisses my forehead. “Now man up because you can’t go into that waiting room looking like that doctor told you that his thing fell off.”

I manage to laugh through my tears. Johanna laughs with me. We probably sound crazy to anyone outside of the room.

Then I look at Peeta and I dread the aftermath. He will be devastated. I look at Johanna suddenly feeling the crippling sadness fill me.

“Can I just cry a little longer before we go out there?” I ask her quietly.

Johanna nods and lets me lay my forehead on her shoulder. She knows that when I leave I won’t cry. I won’t waver.

My family depends on me.

So does Peeta. Even if he might hate me after.

++++++

When we emerge from ICU, the waiting room is filled. Mom and Dad sit close to the entrance of the room. Prim and Rory sit by the window holding hands. Gale is pacing in the back of the room. Rye and Marvel are playing cards at a table while Carrie sits drinking milk from a small carton. Behind her, Wheaton is on the phone.

Haymitch and Effie are the first ones to spot me. Effie is holding an icepack to his cheek.

“Care to explain this?” she asks me as she tends to Haymitch. She is such a loyal girlfriend.

Everyone looks up at us and I lean against the doorway.

Johanna goes to Gale and he pulls her in for a hug. I miss Peeta’s arms like crazy looking at them. My thoughts are interrupted by Prim running to me. I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head.

“How is he?” she asks me with worry in her bright eyes. Her hair is so long now. I find my hand smoothing it down.

I put an arm around her and lead her over to the seats across from Mom and Dad. Peeta’s parents look tired especially Mom who gives me a wan smile.

Everyone assembles and I take a look around before I begin to speak.

“Peeta was hit on the driver’s side. The impact of the crash has basically destroyed the area from his left foot all the way up to above the knee,” I tell them simply. I can hear a gasp escape someone’s mouth. I think it is Effie. Taking a deep breath, I continue as Prim holds my hand. “They are going to amputate.”

“Shit,” Rye says. For the first time, I don’t care that he’s cursing in front of Prim.

“There are no alternatives?” Wheaton asks me. Carrie puts a hand on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

“It’s too risky to wait it out,” I tell them. “They can give him antibiotics and see if something changes but there’s also a chance of infection. That will kill him.” I say the last bit in a whisper. “It’s this or a wheelchair.”

“You’ve done the right thing,” Dad says from where he sits.

I feel my eyes water. “Then why does it feel wrong? Why do I feel like he’s going to hate me?”

“Come here, Katniss,” Mom tells me firmly. I walk over. Kneeling down in front of her, she looks at me with the same eyes as Peeta. “He’s a survivor. Don’t give up on him.”

I shake my head. “Never.” Without thought, she kisses my forehead.

“So Peeta will need a prosthetic,” Wheaton says. “I’ll do some research.”

“I know someone who specializes in prosthetics,” Carrie tells him. “Remember my Dad has one?”

“I’m going to stay here tonight,” I tell them and then look at Prim. “Stay at the other house.” I’m referring to Mom and Dad’s.

“We’ll bring her to your house to pack a bag,” Dad says.

“We’re staying with you,” Johanna says. Gale nods in agreement.

“You don’t have to,” I assure them.

“No, Katniss,” Rye tells me. “You can’t do this alone. We’re a family. I’m staying too.” Marvel puts an arm around him in agreement.

A knock on the doorway interrupts the meeting. It is Dr. Grant. He spots me in the middle of the group.

“Katniss, we’re ready but I need you to sign some consent forms,” he says to me. Evelyn, the nurse, follows with a clipboard.

“Here you are, sweetie,” she says gently. “You need to read and sign.”

I look up at the petite, Asian woman. ”Will you be there with him?” I think he would like her.

She shakes her head. “I’m not an OR nurse but I will be there for his recovery.”

While I am going over the forms, Dr. Grant answers any questions that our family has. He informs Wheaton and Carrie that they should start looking for a good trans-femoral prosthetic.

“This is going to be a harder transition because he will have no knee,” he informs them. “However, there are great prosthetics being developed. You will want to look for a suction trans-femoral since it is the most common. There are also prosthetics being develop that have hydraulics cylinders which might help with his range of motion especially in the knee area.”

Dr. Grant continues addressing the rest of the family. “This is going to take a lot of time. Peeta will most likely need physical therapy for several months as he will have to use twice as much of his energy to get use to the prosthetic. It won’t be easy physically or mentally for him. For any of you, really.”

I go to him after I have handed Evelyn the papers. “How long will you be in surgery?”

“Around 4 to 6 hours. If there are any complications, it could take longer,” Dr. Grant informs me. “Peeta is young and healthy so I have faith in him.” I nod. “I will look for you here after the surgery.”

“Thank you doctor,” I tell him tiredly. Everyone else echoes the sentiment and he leaves quickly to begin his own prep.

“I’m going to take your mother and Prim home after we drop Rory off,” Dad tells me and then hugs me. “Both of you will be okay.”

“Thanks,” I tell him and Prim comes to me. “Be good and try to get some rest.”

“I’ll try but it’s going to be hard to sleep with my big brother in surgery.”

“I know but try because you have school tomorrow.” Prim nods and hugs me.

Wheaton approaches me to tell me that he is leaving because Carrie needs to rest.

“I’ll take Prim to school,” he tells me. “I’m going to stay over at Mom and Dad’s so Carrie and I can talk about the options for Peeta’s prosthetic.” Wheaton puts a tentative hand on my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

With that, the rest of the family goes home. Johanna, Gale, Rye and Marvel are the ones left sitting in the room.

“You look tired, Kat,” Marvel remarks.

“I hate that nickname,” I reply. “Thank goodness you’re the only one who uses it.”

“Come and sleep in-between us,” Rye tells me. I raise my eyebrows. “What? You’ve never slept in-between two men?”

“Not to my knowledge,” I reply and take the seat offered between them. Gale and Johanna sit across from us. I look at Rye, “Have you?”

“I don’t sleep and tell, Katniss,” Rye says with a grin. His eyes look at me seriously. “You look tired and pale.” He pats his lap. “Lay your head down here, sis.”

Wearily and against my better judgment, I lay my head on his lap and stretch so that my legs are on Marvel’s lap. “Don’t spit gum in my hair or anything.”

Rye laughs as I look at Gale and Johanna who have both fallen asleep against each other.

Peeta...

“Of course not,” Rye tells me. “My brother will choke me if I do. Prosthetic or not.” He unravels the braid and runs his fingers through my hair. My eyelids grow heavy and I can hear him humming before I drift off.

++++++

Peeta’s surgery was a success.

As the week progresses, they taper him off his sedation medicines. Evelyn, who has become his hospital mother, checks on him for me when I am not at the hospital. I am there most of the time with the exception of my morning classes. Cinna has given me time off but comps it as “vacation” hours so I am still getting paid.

This is a pretty shitty vacation.

We have regular visitors especially when they move Peeta out of ICU and into a regular hospital room. It is private so it is much larger that a usual hospital room. Finnick and Annie are also regulars though they cannot stay as long because they have to leave Finn with a babysitter.

Prim comes after school with Wheaton who she has grown fond of. She tells me that they have a lot of long talks about anything and everything. He tells her about traveling to exotic places and about Carrie. She tells him about AP classes and getting her driver’s permit.

“He says that he’s going to teach me when I get my permit,” she tells me during one of her visits.

Thank God for not being old enough to teach my sister to drive. You have to be 25 in the state of California to ride with someone who has a provisional permit.

I’m old enough to get married but not old enough to ride in a car with my sister. I laugh at the thought.

Evelyn is allowed to move up with us due to a generous donation from Peeta’s parents. They like her and trust her no-nonsense attitude. When I begin sleeping in Peeta’s hospital room, she makes sure that I have a cot.

During her shift, she tells me about her daughters. The older one is quiet and looks like her. She’s in her late-twenties and has just gotten married. The younger one is loud and rebellious but she works hard as a pre-school teacher. She is divorced but has a good relationship with her ex. He visits regularly and comes to all the important events.

She tells me this as she checks my husband’s vitals. Tonight they have taken him off the sedation medication. He should be waking up anytime soon.

I turn on the radio that Rye brought and look for station until I settle on listening to a sad piano intro.

_All those arrows you threw, you threw them away  
You kept falling in love, and then one day  
When you fell, you fell towards me  
When you crashed in the clouds, you found me…_

I pull my chair close to the bed and take his hand. I listen to the lyrics and fall asleep willing myself not to cry, even though there is no one around.

_Must be nice  
Having someone you can come home to from a long day of work  
Must be nice  
Having someone you don't have to show they know exactly where it hurts  
Must be nice  
Having someone who trusts you despite what they've heard  
Someone as mighty as a lion but still as gentle as a bluebird…_

I blink and I’m awake. How did the song change so suddenly?

I am still wondering how it has gotten so light outside, when a hoarse voice interrupts my thoughts.

“Hey gorgeous.” I lift my head from the bed to see Peeta’s blue eyes staring at me. He has a tired smile on his face.

“Peeta…” I sit on the bed and I can’t stop myself from crying as I kiss him. “I was so damn worried.”

“Don’t cry,” he tells me and pulls me close. “I missed you. Wherever I was, I missed you.”

It feels good to put my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. “I missed you too.”

When I pull back, he looks at me concerned. “You didn’t have to stay here.” Peeta pushes the hair from my face. “You look tired.”

“That’s the quote of the week,” I tell him with a wry smile. “I’ve been sleeping here.”

“You should’ve gone home,” he replies and cups my face.

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in our bed. Not without you in it.”

Peeta frowns before he meets my eyes. “Do you want to tell me something?”

He looks down and I follow to where his eyes are. He is staring at the blanket where the outline shows only one full formed leg.

“There was too much damage,” I tell him slowly and he closes his eyes. “If we had let you stay as you were, you would’ve been in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. There was also a likely chance of infection and eventual…”

“I could’ve died,” he tells me simply. I nod unable to speak due to the thickness in my throat. “Did you decide this?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still love me?” Peeta asks in a soft voice. “I’m not complete anymore.” I can see the worry in his eyes.

“I’m not complete without you with me.” I press my lips to his own soft ones.

“Then I’ll be fine,” he concludes. “Just love me, okay?”

“Deal.” I settle next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

That night when Evelyn comes for her shift, she bursts into tears at the sight of his blue eyes looking at her.

In the twenty-seven years that she’s worked in this hospital, this is the first time that she’s ever cried during a shift.

++++++

“Peeta!” Prim rushes over to him.

“Hey darling,” he replies and as they hug, he kisses the top of her head.

Prim wanted to see him sooner but he had been tired that first day awake. Dr. Grant gave him a thorough exam then he was given an MRI just in case.

He also met Atala, his physical therapist, who went through the rigorous physical therapy schedule that he would have. Because he will be using a lot of his energy with the prosthetic, the rest of his body needs to be in great physical shape.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says to him and a tear escapes her eyes.

“Primmy,” he says softly. “Don’t cry. Your boyfriend might kick my ass.”

“No, he won’t,” she assures him and then wipes her eyes. “If anything Rory might cry harder than I have.”

Mom and Dad enter with coffee and pastries. I know that they’ve also dropped off a box at the nurses’ station. I take the box of coffee and the pastry basket from Dad so they could go to Peeta. Placing the food on the table close to me, I watch his Dad give him a strong but careful hug. He wipes his eyes before Peeta can see.

Mom approaches him and then cups his face. She places her forehead against his.

“My baby,” she says quietly and Peeta closes his eyes relishing his Mom’s tender touch.

Wheaton and Carrie enter. The pregnant Carrie walks over to him and tries to hold it in. Peeta smiles at her.

“I guess I should let you cry because you’re having my niece,” he tells her with a smile. “Your belly is growing.”

“Damn straight,” she says as she lets the tears fall. “She’s moving a lot, right now. Must be pretty excited to see you.”

Wheaton pulls him into one armed hug. “Good to see you awake, Peeta.”

Peeta meets my eyes with an amused grin. Even at the brink, Wheaton can’t seem to muster enough emotion.

Rye and Marvel enter a little after and tell him about me sleeping in-between them.

“I didn’t know that she snored,” Rye tells him.

I turn red. “I do not snore!”

“Yeah, you do, Katniss,” Peeta says. “It’s quiet snoring, not the loud kind though.”

Haymitch and Effie also come to visit later that day. “I was able to postpone your meeting with Snow,” Haymitch tells us. “Your car accident was on the news. It was enough to warrant a postponement anyway.”

Peeta nods and takes my hand. We should be okay for now.

++++++

In the evening, Annie and Finnick come with Finn. He has grown and we can clearly see that his eyes are Annie’s in both shape as well as color. He is long so we know that he will be tall like his father and the tuft of bronze hair which has been shaped into a Mohawk is definitely all Finnick.

Finn looks around curiously as he is placed in Peeta’s arms. Peeta smiles at him. “Hey Finn.” He tickles his chin and the baby gives him a gummy smile.

“Before we know it, he’ll be walking,” Finnick remarks with a proud smile. “I’ll be chasing him around so I should start baby proofing.”

“That’s how babies are,” Peeta replies as he hands Finn back to Annie so she can feed him in the restroom.

Suddenly his smile falls. It happens so suddenly and his face loses color. I am rushing over to him.

“Peeta.” I put a hand on his face and his skin is cool. “What’s wrong?”

The room falls silent.

Peeta’s eyes are blank for a moment. When he realizes that I am there, he shakes his head.

“It’s nothing,” he tells me but his voice is thick with emotion.

“It’s not nothing,” I say firmly. “You were fine a minute ago.” He remains silent and his head is bowed. “You were just talking to Finnick about chasing—“

I stop realizing why he is so upset. He will never be able to chase children around specifically OUR children. He won’t say it because he knows that I don’t want them. The wheels in my head are turning as I process all of this.

Peeta looks at me in anguish. He knows what I’m thinking. “Who’s going to chase them?” he whispers in a broken voice.

Though my brain has not processed what he’s asking, I find myself already speaking.

I cup his face and look into his eyes. “I will chase our children around.” I kiss him softly and assuringly. “You will be there to give them hugs, to encourage them, to feed them pastries when I tell them no and to tuck them in.” His eyes are heartbreakingly sad. “I’m not maternal, Peeta. I wouldn’t be good at it but you are a natural. You will be the best father.”

He nods but I can see it in his eyes. Peeta is scared but he can’t be weak in front of his family. He won’t be weak in front of Prim or his mother who has gotten considerably thinner.

I look around. “I think that Peeta needs some rest.”

The group dissipates and I look at my husband. He looks so haggard.

I am climbing into the bed. His IV has been disconnected so there is nothing that I can potentially damage. I put my head on his shoulder.

“Tell me what to do,” I say to him.

“Just stay.”

It sounds like a plea. Like he believes that I’m going to jump up and leave the moment he closes his eyes. I take his hand running my thumb over his. I wait for his rapid heartbeat to calm and I listen until I know that he is asleep.

Looking at his sleeping face, I think of what I have told him. I would be chasing our children around. The idea doesn’t sound horrible but we need time.

I need time.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I say to his sleeping form and a small hopeful grin grows on my lips. “Because while I have to chase them, you have to hold up your end of the deal.”

++++++

“Use your leg, Peeta,” Atala urges.

I watch Peeta holding the railings on both of his sides. He is embarrassed. He wants to look like he is progressing.

The prosthetic was just placed a few days ago. It is suctioned to the remaining limb. At the knee area, there is a hydraulic to mimic knee movement and the rest looks similar to a normal leg with the exception that it is a steel color.

He wouldn’t let me watch as they put it on so I had to turn away as they placed it.

“I can’t,” he replies breathlessly. Sweat is pouring down the side of his face.

“You can,” she argues. “That is why you have it. Now just put some pressure onto it. You’re hurting yourself by putting more pressure on your right side.”

They have been doing this for an hour. He moves a bit then she urges him on. Then he stops again.

“I’m tired,” Peeta tells her. “Can I stop?”

“No,” she states. “Not until you’ve walked the entire way.” The path is not long, just about the length of the balance rails. There is soft flooring beneath just in case of a fall.

“DAMNIT!” Peeta strikes the balance railing with his fist. I notice that he can stand when he does this. He grabs on the rails again. The shirt that he wears is soaked. He is breathing harshly. “Can I go now?”

“You can do this,” I tell him standing up and going to him. “I just saw you stand on your own.”

“I can’t,” he states angrily. “Get me a wheelchair and take me back to the room.”

I step back. “No.” I won’t let him stop. He is making progress though it is a slow.

Looking up at me from where he is gripping the balance rail, he hisses at me and his eyes are an icy blue.

“Then what use are you?”

I turn and leave the room without replying.

Going into his room, I am surprised to see Johanna and Gale are there as well as Rye and Marvel.

All these damn couples.

I walk to the chair next to Peeta’s bed and grab my bag tossing my toiletries into it.

“Where are you going?” Johanna says.

“Home,” I tell her trying to bite back my angry tears. “Because I’m no use here.”

++++++

Later that night I lay in my own bed. I was right. I couldn’t sleep without him there.

I wondered if he is up also. I toy with idea of calling him but decide against it.

The door opens slowly and I see Johanna standing in the doorway. Prim is behind her. They walk into the room together.

Prim crawls into the bed in front of me. Her eyes are sad. “We couldn’t let you sleep alone.” She takes my hand.

“I’m not sleeping,” I tell them.

“We know,” Johanna says from where she has settled behind me. She wraps her arms around my waist and places her head on my back. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping either. This is how I usually sleep with Gale.”

“So I’m just a substitute?” I joke.

“Pretty much,” she replies. “It’s not because I’m into you or anything.”

“Of course.”

“Gale has Peeta duty tonight.” I look over and see that Prim is already asleep. “So it’s just us ladies tonight.” Johanna is quiet for a moment. “He was a mess when he found out you were gone.”

“I told him that I would never leave,” I tell her after a moment.

“So what happened then?”

“He told me that I was no use to him.” I bite my lip to stop from crying and I can taste the blood coming from the broken skin.

“And you believed him?”

“It was a very heated moment.”

“Fair enough.”

“Was he really a mess?”

She laughs quietly so we don’t wake Prim. “Peeta was so upset that he let Atala have an extra hour of his very sunny disposition.”

“Peeta is scared to fail,” I tell her. “He always wants to push himself. He has always been like that. During our SAT preps, he was a nightmare.”

“And why is he pushing himself now?”

I sigh. “For the same reason that everyone had to leave the room, he is afraid to fail me and to fail our children.”

“That’s silly,” she says.

“I know.”

“If anyone is going to mess up your children, it’s going to be you.” I can feel her chuckling quietly against my back.

“Up yours Jo.”

“I love you too brainless.”

++++++

Peeta’s release day is suddenly upon us.

I haven’t seen him though Evelyn calls my cell phone to tell me his progress. The family knows about our fight and they remained tight-lipped though Mom called to tell me that she thinks that both Peeta and I are idiots.

“I hope you’ve been telling him the same thing,” I said over the phone.

“Yes I have,” she stated. “When I do, he works with Atala longer.” I laughed in spite of myself.

“You are causing some serious psychological issues.”

“It’s merely some motherly guilt for each of you,” she replied.

My heart is pounding as Johanna and I ride up the elevator to Peeta’s room. She takes my hand as the door opens and we walk down the hallway to his room. The nurses greet me with sympathetic smiles.

Apparently the whole ward knows about our fight.

Johanna knocks softly at the door and Gale opens it. He kisses her before he widens the door for us.

Gale gives me a soft smile. “Hey Catnip.”

“Hey Gale,” I greet him with a weak smile.

When we are in the room, I see that Peeta is sitting in a wheelchair. My heart sinks at the sight.

He is looking down. When he hears me approach his head snaps up.

Peeta gives me a rueful smile. “You here to finish me off, Sweetheart?” 

“I’m here to take you home,” I reply evenly.

He nods and then looks back down. Gale approaches us.

“It is protocol that each patient leaves in a wheelchair,” Gale tells me. “I’ll be driving this chariot today.” He unlocks the chair and grabs the handle. “Ready?”

Peeta looks up at me with soft, sad eyes. “Will you hold my hand?”

I feel my hurt melt and I take his hand without a word.

Johanna follows behind us holding a bag of Peeta’s things. The nurses all assemble to say goodbye. Some of them hug Peeta. The ones I’m familiar with hug me also.

Atala passes us and to my surprise gives Peeta a smile.

My husband grins at her. “Goodbye gorgeous. I’ll see you next week.”

I bristle at his flirtatious tone. Is that what he’s been doing while I was gone? Some of the nurses did seem very friendly with him especially the young ones.

Atala gives me a smile also. “I hope I’ll see you next week too.” I nod.

We reach the elevator and as the door closes the space is filled with tension. I’m suffocating in it.

Peeta takes my hand and I don’t pull away but I don’t look at him either.

The ding of the elevator opening is a welcomed sound and we all exit. Johanna has parked her car in the white zone. When we are close enough, Gale locks the wheels of the chair.

Peeta lets go of my hand and grabs the arms of the chair. He pushes himself up easily and I watch him walk slowly but steadily to the car. Johanna comes to my side and takes my hand while Gale takes the other.

When he has opened the door, Peeta turns to me. “Are you coming?”

I rush over and he gets in without any help. It turns out that between our fight and his mother calling us idiots; he has managed his therapy well. I slip in next to him.

Johanna gets into the driver’s seat and Gale is next to her. I don’t meet Peeta’s eyes as my earlier anger has returned. I can feel him staring at me as the car leaves the hospital.

My tired eyes droop and I find myself drifting into a mini nap.

++++++

When I wake up, I realize that we’re out of the city. We are driving up a hill and it takes a few seconds for me to realize that we are in Colma.

We are driving through a cemetery.

I turn to Peeta and he meets my eyes with a confused expression. Johanna parks suddenly and then turns to us.

“Get out,” she says harshly.

Peeta opens his door and pushes himself up easily. I am amazed at his agility. Had I not known about the accident, I would have never guessed that he had a prosthetic. Slowly, I get out of the car.

Johanna and Gale are a few paces away standing in front of a tombstone. I can see Johanna’s grey skirt move in the breeze as we approach.

When I am within sight, I examine the tombstone. There are two pictures; both boys are dark haired with the same wide-set eyes that belong to Johanna. “Mason” is engraved in giant letters while the names “Theodore” and “Jonathan” are engraved in a smaller font.

“Teddy loved to paint,” Johanna says out of nowhere staring at the grave. “He painted a beautiful picture of me as a little girl when I turned sixteen.” Her voice is quiet but sharp. “Jonathan loved to work on car models. He was in love with a girl name Rachel. They were going to get married. I heard that she’s living in Seattle with cousins. It was too hard to stay.”

She turns to Peeta and me.

“You need to quit all of this petty fighting and bullshit,” Johanna tells us. Tears streamed down her face. She looks at Peeta. “You’re alive. They’re not.” The she turns to me. “You didn’t lose the love of your life. Rachel did.”

She kneels in front of the grave. “They were racing another car when they lost control. Everyday my mom came and sat here. She cleaned up the area. She placed fresh flowers—and when she couldn’t take it, she left me too.”

Her eyes looked haunted as she spoke. “These chances are rare. So don’t waste it like you’ve been doing.”

I look over at Peeta and he is staring at the grave. His face is streaked with tears when he meets my eyes. I hold out my hand to him as a peace offering and he pulls me to him.

Wrapping his arms around me, he kisses my hair. “Baby, I’m so sorry. You’re not useless. I didn’t mean it,” he tells me.

Then I am crying.

I hate it.

++++++

The sound of the rain on the roof wakes me up. San Francisco weather can be erratic. It was sunny this morning but as the day progressed the bay fog rolled in. The grey color of it telling me that rain was upon us.

I turn to Peeta’s side. In the darkness, I see that he is sitting up and his shoulders are shaking. I realize that he is sobbing. His prosthetic is by his side table.

“Baby, are you okay?” I crawl over to him. “Are you in pain?”

He shakes his head as I sit next to him. Peeta kisses me quickly.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“It’s stupid,” he tells me. “I shouldn’t even be worrying about it.”

“Whatever you tell me won’t be stupid, we have to talk to each other about it,” I tell him. “We’ve been best friends since we were kids and we haven’t filtered anything from one another.”

He laughs softly. “You’re right.”

I scoot back so I can sit against our headboard. “Come to me,” I tell him. Peeta pushes himself to me easily. I pull him close and let him put his head to my chest. I run my fingers through his hair and he sighs audibly. “Now tell me, what’s wrong?”

He is silent for a moment.

“Katniss, do you think that you’ll still want me?” he whispers into my ear and it sends a shiver down my body.

I don’t reply. I take his hand and put it on my breast before I slowly run it down my abdomen. I’m aware of his warm breath against my neck as I lead his hand between my thighs. He groans feeling the heat.

“Does this seem like I don’t want you?” I ask him in a strained voice.

I can feel Peeta smile against the skin of my neck and I take a deep breath. I know we won’t make love tonight. We are both exhausted and relieved at the same time.

He settles his head against my chest again.

“Katniss?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you sing to me?” His voice sounds hopeful and the need to take care of him overwhelms me.

I nod and the words are coming out of my mouth without thought.

_Tomorrow morning if you wake up  
and the sun does not appear  
I will be here  
If in the dark, we lose sight of love  
Hold my hand, and have no fear  
'Cause I will be here_

_I will be here  
When you feel like being quiet  
When you need to speak your mind  
I will listen  
And I will be here  
When the laughter turns to crying  
Through the winning, losing and trying  
We'll be together  
I will be here…_

“You’re wrong, you know,” he says to me as he begins to drift off.

“About what?”

“You do know something about being maternal.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So there it is.

In regards to my recent deletion, I can tell you that it hurt. I’m sure many of you writers know how much work you put into doing something like this. For someone to take it down for something irrelevant to the story is horrible. Shame on them.

A few things:

I know that I center a lot of the death on car accidents. I lost a friend of mine to a car accident a few years ago on my birthday. With the big 28 coming upon me in a few days, it brings up memories of that. I also lost two of my co-workers last year to a horrible car accident around Lake Merced.

I’m big on car safety.

The story of Johanna’s mom spending every day at her brothers' grave is based off a woman that my family met. Her two sons are buried next to my grandparents' grave and she went everyday according to my aunt who spoke to her a few times. They died in a car accident like Teddy and Jonathan. Both names are taken from two of my really good guys friends.

The character of Evelyn is based on my mom who worked as an RN at a different hospital for 27 years. The two daughters she talks about are my sister and I.

San Francisco General Hospital does exist and was picked because it is the closest to the Mission where Peeta has his accident.

Colma is city in the Bay Area. Why is it important? The population of dead people overwhelms the population of living people. It is a cemetery town.

Anyone notice the HG references and quotes?

Songs:

“Please Don’t Go” by Barcelona

“Must Be Nice” by Lyfe Jennings

“I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman though the version I have is sung by Gary Valenciano

Some other news is that I will be returning to school. I can write but I need a beta. If anyone is interested, please e-mail me at JLaLaFics@yahoo.com. Please let me know if you have any experience also.

If you have Twitter, you can add me: jlalafics, I tweet a lot and you might see some pictures of familiar places in the story.

Anyone have suggestions on archives I can in? AO3 will probably take forever to send me an invite.

Did I tell you that I think that you are all wonderful?

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Pride Weekend!

Also, after the next chapter, Part Three begins and will take place Six Months Later.

Next: Part of this chapter from Peeta’s POV, Prim begins drivers training and our couple learns some new tricks.

-JLaLa


	13. Part Two: Peeta

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up…

-Jason Mraz (I Won’t Give Up)

Thank you to chelziebelle for being awesome and fixing my messes up!

RATED M: Bad language…bad other things. Basically, whatever got me kicked off FF.

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Two, Chapter Twelve: Peeta

“Then what use are you?”

I knew I fucked up the moment the words came out of my mouth.

Katniss, who is the ‘Queen of the Poker Face’, didn’t have time to shield herself from my biting words. I saw the anger, the frustration, and finally the hurt that filled her grey eyes.

Before I could beg for forgiveness, she whips around and walks out of the room.

The room seems to still and I grip the balance bars tightly. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

“Are you happy now?” I look up to see Atala, my physical therapist, glaring at me. She has her hands on her hips. “You finally drove your wife away.”

“Is this any of your business?”

“It is when you’re on my turf,” she replies bluntly.

Atala has lived in Visitacion Valley since she was a kid, so she knows all about turf. She told me during a previous session that she knew several people who were killed or beaten because they wore the wrong colors on the wrong turf.

She continues, “Katniss is someone who has use. What the hell are you useful for?”

Ouch. That hurt.

“You don’t push yourself, Peeta,” she tells me. “You are stronger than you believe. One little hiccup, however, and you start whining. Be better than that.”

I nod, ashamed of hurting my wife and acting like a baby in front of Atala.

She takes a deep breath and I know that she’s trying to quell her irritation. “Okay, now walk.”

I nod. The quicker I finish, the quicker I can beg Katniss not to hate me.

I carefully put my weight on my prosthetic leg, holding onto the bars and I step forward. I do the same with my actual leg. I can definitely feel the difference between the two, but I think it is because I haven’t quite made use of the prosthetic. It technically weights the same as my regular leg, but like Atala said, I had been using my right side too much. The left side of my hip was weak.

When I finally reach the end, I am sweating profusely but I am grinning.

“Now there you go,” Atala says with a small but triumphant smile. “Let’s go and check on your wife.”

Instead of a wheelchair, Atala hands me a cane. “Let’s use this from now on.” She shows me how to balance. “For now, use your right hand since your left side is not that strong. As time goes on, you’ll use it on your left side so that you can learn to do things while you’re using the cane like write or make a phone call. Then you stop using it altogether.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I tell her with a tiny grin.

Atala instructs me that when I step with my prosthetic leg to move the cane at the same time. She has me try it as she stands in front, just in case. My first few steps are wobbly but as we move closer to the door, I become more confident.

“That’s it, Peeta,” she says to me.

As we make our way down the hallway, many of the nurses give me proud smiles.

“You’re doing good, kid,” Atala says as we make our way to my room.

My mind is no longer on the steps, but on Katniss. How pissed is she?

When I finally enter my room, I find the only two occupants are Johanna and Gale. My wife is nowhere to be found.

Her bag is also gone.

“Where’s Katniss?” I ask them. Gale turns away angrily.

Johanna glares at me. “She left,” she tells me.

My heart begins to race and I feel my body sway. Atala instinctively reaches to catch my body.

“She can’t be gone,” I reply. “Katniss promised she wouldn’t leave. She said so.” Suddenly I can breathe and my body feels cold. “Call her! Call her NOW!”

Something is wrong. I feel horribly sick. I am close enough to my bed to grab onto a rail.

“You have to calm down, Peeta,” Atala instructs me. She looks up at them. “One of you, get a nurse!”

Gale rushes out and Johanna goes over to me. Her eyes are concerned when she touches my clammy skin.

“What is going on?” she asks Atala.

“I think he’s having an anxiety attack,” she replies. “If he doesn’t calm down soon, I’m going to ask them to get me an Ativan pill for him.”

I shake my head. “No, no. I don’t want any more drugs,” I say to them. “I’ll be good, I promise. I want Katniss though.” My begging voice is pitifully weak.

“If you don’t calm your ass down, the doctors aren’t going to allow her to come here,” Atala tells me. “So take a deep breath, and have a seat.”

I do what I’m told, sitting on a nearby chair. Johanna rubs my back as I put my head in my hands.

“Peeta,” Johanna says gently. “You really hurt Katniss. I think she’s going to need some time.”

“I know.” Tears of frustration are about to spill onto my cheeks.

Gale enters with Evelyn in tow. She has just started her shift.

“Peeta…” She has brought along the portable vital sign machine. “Little boy, what am I going to do with you?”

She takes out the blood pressure cuff and wraps it around my bicep, then reaches for the thermometer. After putting a wrapper on it, she places it in my mouth.

“Now relax,” Evelyn instructs me.

Johanna and Gale talk quietly together in the corner of my room. Atala has her arms crossed as she looks at the machine measuring my blood pressure.

The machine beeps and Evelyn looks at the display. “It’s normal, 113 over 75 and his temperature is normal, too.” The older woman pats my shoulder. “Katniss left pretty quickly today, huh?” I nod. “You are a couple and couples often get into fights. Only when a couple stops fighting is there a real problem.”

“Why?” I ask her.

“Because it means that you’ve stop caring,” she replies. “And you both care.”

“Thank you,” I tell her and she pats my head.

I lay my head back and close my eyes while Atala speaks to Evelyn.

I heard Evelyn dragging the machine out of the room, followed by the footsteps of Atala approaching my chair.

“Get up,” she demands and I open one eye. “Peeta, NOW.”

“Okay.” Slowly I push myself up and she hands me the cane when I steady myself. “Where are we going?”

“We’re not finished.” She watches me as I attempt to balance. Supporting myself with the cane, I manage to stand straight and without help. “There you go. Now, let’s walk back to the training room.”

“How long are we going to be there?”

“Until I say so,” Atala tells me. “Let’s go.”

++++++

When I return to my room, I find Johanna gone and Gale watching television. He stands up when I enter.

“Don’t help me,” I tell him.

After we reached the training room, Atala had me work on my upper body and arms so that I would be able to push myself up without tiring out. She also showed me how to properly do that as well as sit back down.

Before she left, Atala had me walk from the training room to the door of my room. Then she had me do it two more times before she walked me back.

The railing of the hospital bed is down on one side. So I walk to that side slowly with my cane swinging in correlation with my bad leg. I grab the remote and lower the bed, bringing the top section up. Then carefully I sit and place the cane against the side table. I push myself to the middle of the bed and lay back.

“What are you watching?” I ask.

“An old Giants game,” he replies. “From two years ago.”

“I remember the night that they won,” I tell him. “Katniss and I took the Chevy out to Lands End near the Cliff House so we could listen to the game. When that last pitch was thrown and we won the series…I don’t think either of us had ever screamed that loud.” I smile to myself. “I swear the whole city was screaming with us.”

“Sounds like a good night,” he says to me.

“It was.”

“Johanna went to check on Katniss,” Gale tells me and then looks at me with stern eyes.

“Good.” We are quiet for a moment and I look up at the screen at the corner of the room. I could feel his eyes on me. Finally, I turn to him. “Okay, let me have it.”

Gale looks at me with stern eyes. “I’m not going to pretend like I know what is going on. I just know that she left upset about something you said.”

“I basically told her that she was useless.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Understatement of the year.” Gale grins in spite of the seriousness of it all.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asks me.

“Be a better man,” I tell him.

“How are you going to do that?”

I give him an honest answer. “I don’t know yet.”

“I guess that’s a good enough answer for now,” he replies and turns back to television. “So did you guys go to the party by the ballpark?”

That night, I tell him the story of how Katniss almost got arrested.

++++++

As the weeks pass, I become closer to Gale. Johanna is on what he calls “Katniss Duty.” We walk around, usually to the cafeteria, so that I can get used to my cane. We try every cookie and pick the one that is least disgusting (oatmeal) to drink with cartons of milk.

Gale tells me that he picked criminal justice because he always wanted to be a cop. When his father died, however, he promised his mother that he wouldn’t sign up for the police academy. She didn’t want to lose another man in the family.

He also tells me that he is going to propose to Johanna next year. He wanted her to meet his family, thus the reason for them coming to San Francisco.

I become closer to Evelyn and she tells me that often talks to Katniss. She is doing well, but Evelyn can tell that she is stressed out.

I tell her about our wedding and how I have been in love with her since we were teenagers. I talk to her about how I love to draw. The next day, she brings pencils and recycled newspaper pads that her daughter used when she was in art school.

I draw in-between physical therapy. I draw portraits of Prim when she comes to visit, or Johanna. I give the Johanna ones to Gale, in case he gets “lonely” for her. I draw landscapes like the village in the Philippines that Evelyn lived in when she was a child. Sometimes, I draw the beach that Katniss and I used to hang out at.

The last person that I become really good friends with is Atala. She lives with her boyfriend, Ken, in Noe Valley. She decided to become a physical therapist after her cousin was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Bayview District. He was paralyzed from the waist down, but was unable to get the proper medical assistance. He became addicted to pain killers and sleeping pills. Eventually, he just had too much and didn’t wake up one day.

They had been close before the accident.

“This is why I push you so hard,” she tells me. “Because I see him in every young man that I’ve worked with.”

Two weeks and a half weeks into my therapy, Atala has me switch my cane to my left hard. She wants me to learn how to do things like writing or talking on the phone with my dominant hand, which is my right.

“Maybe you want to try calling Katniss with that free hand,” she suggests as we work.

“Or you can do another thing with that hand,” Gale jokes from where he sits in the training room.

I throw my towel at him.

++++++

At night when I can’t sleep, I do think about Katniss. It kills me inside.

When the moonlight fills my room, I think about her skin glowing in our dark bedroom. I miss her.

It’s not easy lying in a hospital bed. You get very little sleep because you can hear the sounds of other patients or the nurses chatting at their station. When you finally do sleep, you’re woken up by some nurse who has to take your vitals.

I am lonely for the warmth of my wife.

I contemplate calling her tonight but I’m too ashamed.

Instead, I call my Mom.

“Peeta?” It’s late, but Mom is a night owl so I know she is awake.

“Hey Mom,” I greet her. “Am I bothering you?”

“No, darling. Just catching up on the news,” she replies. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t sleep.” I look out the window where the moon is shining, “Thinking about Katniss.”

“You are both idiots,” she states.

“I’m the bigger idiot.”

“That is true,” Mom replies.

I laugh gruffly. “Thanks for the solidarity.”

“Peeta, you made a mistake.” I cradle the phone to my ear. “Talk to her. I know she misses you, too.”

“I can’t make up for what I said to her—“

“This is not about trying to take back what you’ve said,” she tells me. “What’s done is done. This is about making sure that your marriage is intact.”

“Has Dad ever messed up like this?”

“Your Dad has fucked up a whole bunch of times.” I laugh at her blunt tone. “And so have I. That’s how a relationship works.” She is quiet for a moment. “How is physical therapy?”

I’m grateful for the change of subject change. “It’s going well. I’ve switched my hand so I’m learning how to use the cane and do other things at the same time.”

“That’s great.”

“If you speak to Katniss, tell her that I’m working hard.”

“I’ll tell her it’s because I called you an idiot,” she says and we laugh. It’s nice to hear a laugh coming from her. “Goodnight baby.”

“Goodnight Mom.”

++++++

“Are we going to do this?” Atala asks me.

“Is it going to get me out of here?”

“If you do this, I promise that you’ll be released in a week,” she says to me.

Atala takes my cane. “Okay, get up.”

Slowly, I push myself up from my bed. Weeks of strength training have made me stronger and more confident in myself. I focus on balancing my hips so that I don’t strain myself.

Finally, I am standing on my own.

She grins at me. “Good job, Peeta.”

“I owe you a coffee,” I tell her.

“Well, come on then, let’s go down to the cafeteria and get it.”

I hold out my arm for her and she takes it. I move one foot forward and then another. Then another set and before I know it, we are walking out of my room.

I wish more than anything that Katniss could see this.

“Peeta,” Atala says gently. She brushes my tears away. “You did it.”

“I did, didn’t I?” I say as we walk to the elevator. I press the down button and as we wait, I pull her in for a hug.

When she pulls away, Atala gives grins. “Watch out, you don’t want to make Katniss jealous, do you?”

The smile falls from my face. “You think she hates me?”

“No,” Atala responds. “That girl loves the crap out of you.”

“That sounds very romantic,” I say.

“I’m going to help you with this.” The elevator dings and we walk in. “Give me one week and I’m going to help you with this.”

I look over at her skeptically. “And how are you going to do that?”

She smiles slyly. “Just wait, Peeta. You’ll have her in your arms before you know it.”

++++++

I watch her sleeping.

It is different now that I’m back in our bed.

Tonight, I can’t sleep because of a nightmare that I’ve had. I don’t see anything, but I hear the sound of breaking glass and metal against the concrete.

The rain is hitting the roof softly and there is a slight ache radiating in the spot where the rest of my leg used to be.

I look back at Katniss. Her face is relaxed and I can see how long her lashes are. Her strawberry lips are curved into a soft smile. She seems to be having a nice dream.

What kind of husband will I be now?

Will she still want me? I know I want her.

My own insecurity is heightened tonight. I feel like I’m not complete enough for her. Atala assures me that I can do anything that I used to do, but there is the voice in the back of my head that tells me the opposite. It tells me that she could find someone else, someone whole.

This feeling and the pain in my non-existent leg is enough for me to allow tears to fall. There’s no one around to see.

I feel the bed shift and her warm breath is against my face. “Baby, are you okay?” No. “Are you in pain?” Yes.

I shake my head and Katniss sits next to me. I don’t want her to feel sorry for me.

She looks at me with her smoky eyes. Her hair falls against her shoulders and her beautiful mouth is slightly open.

I can’t help it. I let my lips meet hers and she tastes delicious.

“Then what’s wrong?” she asks worriedly.

“It’s stupid,” I reply, suddenly feeling bad for being such a downer. “I shouldn’t even be worrying about it.”

I can tell that she doesn’t believe me. “Whatever you tell me won’t be stupid, we have to talk to each other about it. We’ve been best friends since we were kids and we haven’t filtered anything from one another.”

I laugh for a moment at her statement. “You’re right.”

Katniss pushes herself back so that her back is against the headboard. She is wearing a long t-shirt and I realize that it is mine.

She beckons me with her eyes. “Come to me.”

I push myself over to her and she pulls me close. When she runs her hand through my hair, a sigh escapes my mouth. I crave her so badly.

“Now tell me, what’s wrong?”

I hesitate before I finally decide to tell her the truth. Hiding from her is not the best thing to do especially when we have just stopped avoiding each other.

I move a little so that my mouth is just barely brushing her ear. “Katniss, do you think that you’ll still want me?”

I fear the worst when she doesn’t say anything. However, when she takes my hand and moves it to her breast, my fear is replaced with a heat that travels to my nether regions. She continues to let my hand brush her abdomen and then…oh God…down in-between her soft thighs.

Katniss wants me.

Her voice is laced with want when she speaks again. “Does this seem like I don’t want you?”

I smile against the base of her neck and my heart is calm again. We aren’t where we used to be. We are somewhere better.

My body has relaxed and I feel the need to sleep. I only need one more thing from her. “Katniss?”

“Hmm?” She seems content. I can feel it in her body.

“Will you sing to me?”

She doesn’t hesitate. Katniss doesn’t realize how beautiful her voice is. Sometimes I listen while she is singing to herself and I wonder why she doesn’t do it more.

_Tomorrow morning if you wake up  
And the sun does not appear  
I will be here  
If in the dark, we lose sight of love  
Hold my hand, and have no fear  
'Cause I will be here…_

In my mind, I see her singing to our children. The hope of seeing this brings me comfort.

Katniss fears that she knows nothing about being maternal.

That’s not true.

So before I drift off to sleep, safely in her arms, I tell her that.

000000

“Okay, Prim,” Wheaton instructs from the front seat, “You’re going to back out slowly. Remember to check all of your mirrors.”

“Checked all my mirrors,” Prim responds. “Now what do I do?”

“God help us,” Katniss mutters next to me. We are sitting in the backseat of my brother’s BMW. Why he is allowing Prim to drive this is beyond me.

I take Katniss’ hand reassuringly.

“We all have to start somewhere, right?” I say to her. “Remember your first lesson?”

“The one where I almost punched the driving instructor, or the one where I stopped talking to my Mom for a week?”

“You’re impossible sometimes,” I retort.

“That’s what my driving instructor told me.”

The car jerks and Katniss almost jumps into my lap. When I turn to look at her, I find her face inches from mine.

“If you want to kiss me, all you have to do is ask,” I say to her. She blushes at my flirtatious tone. Pulling her closer, I put an arm around her and lean down to kiss her.

“Excuse me,” Wheaton says from the passenger’s seat. “We’re in the middle of a lesson so if you could tone it down, then that would be great. Also, please put your seatbelts on.”

“Killjoy,” I say to him and my brother grins in spite of himself.

“Sorry, guys,” Prim says in a small voice.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I assure her. “You’re doing great. Your sister is the one who is a nervous wreck.”

I can see her smile through the rearview mirror.

Looking over at Katniss, I can see her glaring at me. I lean over so I can whisper into her ear. “I think you’re more afraid of Prim learning to drive because it means that she’s growing up and a little closer to leaving us.”

“No, I’m not,” she argues. “I’m more worried about what she’ll be doing in her car.”

“I don’t follow,” I say. “Maybe you can show me later.”

Katniss puts her lips to my ear. “I would show you now just to piss Wheaton off.” My brother is instructing Prim on blind spots. Quickly, she nips at my ear before pulling away.

“We don’t want to be bad examples to Prim,” I tell her. Katniss gives me a mock sigh. I take her hand again and kiss it.

Prim checks her mirrors again and then slowly begins backing out of the driveway of my parents’ house. Katniss’ grip on my hand tightens. We both hold our breaths as she straightens herself out. From where I am, I can see Prim’s tight grip on the steering wheel.

“You’re doing great, Prim,” Katniss tells her, though her voice is strained.

“Now, lightly step on the gas,” Wheaton says.

Prim nods quickly and does what he says. The power of the car overwhelms her and she breaks again suddenly. My head is thrown forward as well as Katniss’.

We endure this for the next fifteen minutes as Prim makes her way from my parents’ house to the gym. By then, my back is soaked in sweat and Katniss’ forehead is glistening, making her bangs noticeably damp.

Wheaton, however, smiles proudly at her. “You did good, sis.” Then he turns to us. “I’m going to show Prim how to park. You two can go in.”

We scramble out of the car. Katniss is almost pushing me.

When I close the door, the two of us watch Prim make a sharp turn. Then we look at each other.

“We’re walking home,” I tell her.

“I agree.” Katniss grins. “Thank goodness we don’t have to do that.”

“Now we’ll just have to worry about our own kids.” The words come out of my mouth without me realizing it.

Katniss’ expression remains neutral. She doesn’t smile but she doesn’t frown either. I think she is telling herself that I didn’t mean it.

“Ready for work?” Katniss asks as we walk to the front door.

Working the desk at the gym is the least physical job out of all three of the businesses. For now, at least until I gain a little more strength, my Dad is taking over the bakery.

“I guess so,” I tell her. “You didn’t have to come with me.”

“I wanted to.” I open the door for her. “I need to exercise, you know. And it will be like old times.” She steps inside and I give her a skeptical look. “What?”

“You never exercised when you came here,” I say as we walk to the front desk. “The most exercise you got was trying to decide which one of these flat benches you were going to study on.”

“I can try working out,” she argues. “Both of us can.”

“Peeta! Katniss!” Finnick emerges from the back room with a stack of towels. Our friend manages to hug us both at the same time.

“Hey Finnick,” I say. “Good to see you.”

“Hey Finnick,” Katniss greets him.

Since Finnick had taken over, the gym had undergone some minor but effective changes. He had moved the treadmills that were parked in front of the windows to the opposite side closer to the entrance. The elliptical machines and stairclimbers are also nearby.

Free weights were on the side where the treadmills had been. Finnick had purchased another set of weights since there was more room, and the rest of weight machines were set up in the middle of the room.

Finally, the last section of the room was free space. Finnick had installed mirrors along this side of the wall along with a barre for stretching. He had made a deal with the San Francisco Ballet, allowing them to hold preliminary auditions for adults here at the gym. In exchange, their children’s classes were held here and the gym got half of the profit.

“Everything looks great,” I tell him and Finnick smiles proudly.

“Oh, a barre!” Prim exclaims as she enters the gym with Wheaton. My brother looks amused as she runs to the railing.

“Prim use to take ballet classes,” Katniss tells us. “She stopped after Dad died because we couldn’t afford it.”

“Maybe she can take one of the classes here,” I say to her.

Since Prim is in jean leggings, she only uses the barre for minor stretching.

“Katniss,” she calls out. “Come stretch with me.”

“I’m okay for now, Prim.” My wife wraps her arms around herself.

Finnick gives her a teasing grin. “Are you afraid that you won’t have what it takes?”’

Katniss snaps her head over to him. You never challenge Katniss. I learned that in high school when some girl told her that she couldn’t beat their running time. She practiced every day, twice a day for a month.

She beat the girl by ten seconds.

Without saying anything, Katniss unzips her sweater and throws it on the counter. She is wearing a tight tank top and skinny black pants with sneakers, and her hair is in her signature braid. Before she goes to Prim, she wraps her braid around the ponytailed section so that it’s like a bun.

Walking over, she places one hand on the barre and begins to stretch with Prim. My throat tightens as I watch her small graceful movements.

There is something incredibly sexy about the line of Katniss’ neck as she bends her head to the opposite side. I want to place my lips on her exposed neck.

We haven’t touched one another since that one night when she had found me awake. We have kissed but nothing else. She doesn’t want to hurt me.

I continue to watch as she bends forward so that her head is practically between her legs. I bite my lip to stifle the groan.

“Congratulations, man.” I turn to look at Finnick who is grinning at me. “Does she use these moves in the be—“

“Finnick, I’m not going to tell you that,” I reply.

“So she doesn’t.” He is trying to rile me up.

“Don’t you have a wife and a baby at home?” I say to him. “Why don’t you go and bother them?”

He raises his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright.” He reaches under the counter to grab his keys. “You know where everything is.”

He waves goodbye to Katniss and Prim. Finnick gives me a final wink and then he is gone.

I look over at Katniss again. She is not facing me when she bends forward this time, but her toned bottom is within my view.

God help me.

++++++

“I put all the towels in the machine,” Katniss says when she emerges from the back room later that night.

After Finnick left, Prim and Wheaton followed since they were going to have dinner with my parents and Carrie.

“Thanks,” I tell her from where I mop.

While I take physical therapy, I still get tired. However, it is not like before when pushing myself out of bed made me want to sleep for a week.

My shirt is soaked in sweat, so I unbutton it and toss it on the counter.

“Do you know where the window cleaner is?” I ask her. She remains silent.

When I turn, I see that she is staring at me and her eyes are glazed over.

“Katniss?”

She snaps out of it quickly. “Oh yeah! I’ll work on the windows.”

We work in comfortable silence until I finish mopping the floor. When I look up, I see that Katniss has just finished the last window. She walks over and places the window cleaner on the counter.

My body is slightly sore but it is the good kind of pain. It feels like finishing a long run or lifting more than you weigh. You feel tired, but triumphant.

I sit on one of the benches and take a deep breath. I close my eyes for a moment.

“Peeta?”

When I open my eyes, I see Katniss holding out a hand to me. She gives me a small smile.

“Dance it off?”

I take it, fully prepared to show her the dance moves that Atala taught me.

“I have the perfect song,” I tell her and walk to the computer where the playlist is. The sound of a bass fills the room.

I walk back to her and put a hand to her waist. Pulling her close, she places one hand on my shoulder. I take her other hand and entwine it with mine. My elbow is slightly out at a 90 degree angle as Atala instructed.

“Have you been taking dancing lessons without me?” she teases.

“This is Atala’s other form of physical torture for me.”

Katniss laughs as she presses her body closer and she puts her chin on my shoulder as we sway.

_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid  
Oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

_So darling, darling  
Stand by me, oh stand by me  
Oh stand, stand by me  
Stand by me…_

We are next to the mirror and I catch our reflection. My wife’s beautiful, lean body and my own awkward, broader one look significantly emphasized in the wall to floor mirrors. How could she want me?

I put my head against her shoulder and inhale her scent. It is a light woodsy scent and I feel her gasp quietly.

I pull back. “Katniss?” Our faces are inches are apart and my eyes focus on her lips. Suddenly, I’m aware of the closeness of her body and that her heart is beating as rapidly as I’m sure mine is. Her eyes are darker and I see her swallow slowly as she stares into my eyes.

Stopping our dance, I take her face in my hands so I can press my lips to hers. I don’t kiss her gently, nor does she reciprocate gently. Opening her mouth slightly, she lets me slip my tongue into her mouth. Katniss moans into my mouth and she pulls me closer to her. I can feel her heat against my groin.

She pulls away and leads me over to where the mirror is. Leaning against the barre, she reaches for my tank and pulls it off slowly. Her eyes roam my chest and I silently thank Atala for making me do so many upper body exercises. Katniss places a hand on my chest and then runs it over my abdomen. She stops at my waistband then looks up, realizing that she has been touching me without saying a word.

She blushes. “Sorry.”

I shake my head. “Don’t ever be sorry for wanting to touch me,” I tell her quietly. Leaning into her, I kiss behind her ear and trail the kisses down her neck. When I reach her shoulders, I give her a smile. “I can’t continue with this on.”

I lift the hem of her tank top and pull over her head, tossing it to the ground. She is still wearing her white cotton bra. She looks at me as she reaches behind her back and unclasps the bra. Relaxing her shoulders, Katniss lets it fall. I put my hands on her shoulders.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her and our lips meet again.

This time our kiss is frantic and I push her against the barre. Katniss suddenly reaches behind her and grabs the barre, lifting her body so that she is slightly sitting on it. She wraps her legs around my waist so that she can lean into my hips.

My mind goes blank as she pushes into my erection and I rip my mouth away from hers. I reach for her pants and harshly yank them off along with her panties. She toes off her shoes and socks as she holds onto the barre.

I pull away slightly so that her upper body is stretched out, and her exposed breasts beckon me. I bend my body over hers so that I can take one dusty nipple into my mouth, and Katniss lets out a loud groan. I am thankful for the fact that we’re not in the house because she would never make a sound like that there.

“Peeta, please,” she says in a strained voice. Katniss can’t let go of the barre but I can see her looking at the waistband of my pants. “Take them off.” Her voice drops down. “I need you.”

With one hand resting under her lower back, I only have one hand to undo my pants. I am clumsy with want as I push my pants down, freeing myself.

Our eyes meet again. I realize that this is the first time that she has ever seen me naked since the accident. I am embarrassed and she can tell.

“Look at me,” she says. When I do, I can see her gorgeous eyes gazing at me with love. “Don’t ever hide. You are beautiful.”

My eyes are suddenly wet and I let my mouth form a grin. Her feet dig into my lower back as she pulls me closer to her warm heat.

I kiss her softly and I feel her gasp into my mouth.

When I pull away, our foreheads are pressed together. I am trapped in her gaze.

“So now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?” I ask her and my mouth grazes hers.

She doesn’t answer. Instead, Katniss uses the barre for support as she pushes up and quickly plunges herself onto my cock.

I cry out because the feeling is so overwhelming. I can feel her gripping me inside her warmth. She pulls out again and then roughly takes me back into her body.

Pushing her against the mirror, I move my hips forward and Katniss cries out. Adjusting herself so that she is sitting on the barre, she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me frantically.

We are close, so close.

“Come on, baby,” I urge her and speed up.

She lets out a strangled cry and I can feel her tighten inside me.

“Good girl, “ I whisper into her ear. She leans her back against the mirror with a content smile on her face. Her bottom is rested on the barre and I take her hand, leading it in-between her legs. “Now, again.”

She quirks an eyebrow at me. My own body is strained from trying to keep myself in control.

It has been too long but it was worth the wait.

Moving slowly, I watch Katniss caress herself using her fingers and when she brushes them against my…I lose control.

I pick up speed as I move within her and my own cries intermingle with hers. She is chanting my name into my ear and my movements are suddenly jerky.

She finds her release first and her insides clamp onto me. It is even more intense than her previous orgasm.

This time I join her, releasing myself inside her. “Katniss!” The sound of her name echoes inside the gym.

She leans against me with her head on my shoulder. We are both gasping.

“What the hell was that?” she asks breathlessly.

“The most intense thing I’ve ever felt,” I reply.

Katniss lifts her head from my shoulder. She looks around, suddenly realizing where she is.

“Did we just have sex on this barre?”

I nod as I help her off it. “Yes. Yes, we did.”

She is still shaky as she stands, from the strain of gripping my hips with her thighs.

We turn to look at the mirror. It definitely needs to be cleaned again.

Our eyes meet and we are both laughing as the sound bounces throughout the room. It feels good to hear her laughter.

We dress quickly. Afterwards, I clean the mirror and she turns on the fans.

When we are done, we sit on an exercise bench. She tiredly puts her head on my shoulder again.

“You look tired. Maybe we should call Prim to pick us up,” I suggest teasingly.

“I’m not that tired.”

We are silent, listening to the sound of the fans whirring above us.

Katniss moves so that she can lay her head in my lap.

“Put you somewhere you can't get hurt,” she whispers.

“What?”

I look down and she shifts so that she can look up at me. “You asked me what I was going to do with you…”

She takes my hand and entwines it with hers, placing them against her chest where I can feel her beating heart.

“The answer is put you somewhere you can’t get hurt.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your patience as I attempt to get my life in order. A few things:

Ativan is an anti-anxiety pill, just in case you didn’t know.

Visitacion Valley is an area of San Francisco which is where the old projects used to be. It is still one of the most violent areas of the city due to gang activity, especially where the Geneva towers (low income housing) used to be.

My husband spent his childhood there. He still remembers that his Mom got mugged there numerous times and that his Dad had to pull out a shotgun on someone once. So yeah…Atala is from a pretty bad place.

Gale is watching a game from 2010, the year that the Giants won the series. GO GIANTS!

When the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, my husband and I did the same thing. We pretty much screamed like crazy people, but we were the people in their cars beeping. I didn’t get in any fights though…

Noe Valley is a nicer part of town closer to the Mission and the Castro District.

Bayview Hunters Point is right next to Visitacion Valley, so it’s pretty bad there, too.

Prim has a provisional license. In order to do that, you have to first take lessons with an instructor then drive with an adult over 25. At sixteen, you can take your driver’s test but you are limited to a certain time when you can drive.

I know nothing about ballet barre exercises, so please excuse my attempt. If you think about it, I didn’t really need it for ballet purposes anyway.

“Stand by Me” is sung by Ben E. King.

Just FYI, I was listening to R. Kelly and TLC during the smut scene. Very difficult to be inspired in that way while you’re in a Starbucks.

Did you spot the line?

Thank you for your support and love. I have the greatest readers in the world.

Next: Part Three begins. Six months later from Katniss’s POV, a one year anniversary has arrived.

-JLaLa


	14. Part Three: Katniss

The characters of the Hunger Games do not belong to me.

Well you might be a bit confused  
And you might be a little bit bruised  
But baby how we spoon like no one else  
So I will help you read those books  
If you will soothe my worried looks  
And we will put the lonesome on the shelf…

-Ingrid Michaelson (You and I)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Three, Chapter Thirteen: Katniss

_Six Months Later_

“Okay, Katniss,” Annie says to me as I lay down on the examination table. “Giddy up.”

“Is this how you talk to all your patients?” I ask her.

Annie looks up at me from her spot at the end of the exam table and gives me a smile. “Just the ones I like.” She pulls out the stirrups and I hesitantly place a foot on each one. “Scoot down for me.”

I do as she says.

“Don’t destroy anything,” I joke, though there is a part of me that is still scared. I’m so glad that I only have to do this once a year. “Peeta will kill you!”

“Don’t worry,” she assures me. Pulling the speculum out of the drawer below the table, Annie widens my legs for me. “Take a deep breath.” I do and she inserts it. “I want to make sure that you’ll be able to give Finn some playmates.”

“Playmates?”

“At least one playmate,” Annie replies. “I’m just going to do a quick swab.” She removes the speculum and sets it aside. “Now I’m going to just feel around.” I grimace at her words.

“Oh God,” I tell her with an uneasy laugh. “I just got the image of your pillow talk with Finnick.”

Annie laughs with me and then stands as she removes her gloves.

“Everything seems nice and normal,” Annie informs me. “Also, for your information, Finnick loves it when we play ‘doctor’.” She grabs my chart and writes down her observations. “How is everything else going?”

“Everything is good.” I say, sitting up and placing the paper blanket over my legs again. “Peeta is getting more training from Atala. He is starting to run track for endurance.”

She raises her eyebrows and grins. “Endurance? Do you make him tired?”

Peeta and I enjoy regular sex, but there is something about the element of surprise and experimentation that we both seem to enjoy.

The barre continued to be a great place until a few weeks ago when Finnick noticed that there was a slight bend to it. Since then, we’ve had to keep away.

I think for a moment. “I don’t make him tired…I challenge him,” I reply with a small smile.

Annie nods and writes something on my chart. “And how are you feeling about the shot?”

“Fine, it seems to be doing its job.”

“Your one year anniversary is coming up.” Annie looks up at me. “Any plans?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “What did you do for your first anniversary?”

“Dinner…and then you know,” Annie says. “It’s the paper anniversary.”

“Paper, huh? What do you think I should give him?”

Annie is silent, putting her pen to her chin in thought. Suddenly, she snaps her fingers and then grins at me.

“How about naked photos?” She waggles her brows and the visual of her husband doing the same thing enters my mind.

“Finnick is a bad influence on you.”

++++++

_Let me tell you bout a girl I know,  
She like hip hop and rock n roll  
She walk slow down the avenue,  
I ain't met her but I'll get her when I do  
Let me tell you bout a girl I love,  
She stay at home cuz she hate the club  
Baby butt, pretty little features  
I ain't met her but I'll get her when I see her…_

“Looks like you’ve picked another winning song,” I tell Peeta. “Your taste in music never ceases to amaze me.”

We are sitting in Peeta’s restored Chevy at Ocean Beach. It was Rye’s present to him after he finished his first set of physical therapy. Peeta has no issues with driving, since he only uses his right foot to control the gas and break.

He grins at my tone and puts an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

“You know you like this song,” he replies and puts his mouth to my neck, kissing it gently. I feel the heat travel between my legs. Peeta nuzzles his nose against my neck as he sings to me. _“Will you be my corona and lime? And I will be your main squeeze…”_

I turn my head and our lips meet.

As we kiss, my body maneuvers itself over him and Peeta lowers his seat slightly so I can comfortably straddle him. I run my hands through his hair and tug gently as I deepen the kiss.

Peeta groans. He pushes my pelvis against his groin by grabbing me from behind. This time, I groan.

I rip my mouth away from his. “Should we be doing this here?” I sit up and look nervously around at the beach.

Peeta pushes himself up on his elbows and smiles. “I didn’t start it.”

I shove him lightly and hear laughter. Turning to my right, I see some surfers walking back to their car two spaces away from us.

One of them passes Peeta’s open window and sees him nestled between my legs. He grins and nods at Peeta.

Then he turns to me and holds out his fist to me. I bump it reluctantly as my face heats up.

“You’re the coolest girl ever,” he says in a slow drawl, then looks at Peeta. “Dude, where can I get one like her?”

“They’re usually right in front of your face,” Peeta replies with a grin.

“Right on!” He salutes us and joins his friends.

“You seem to have enlightened him,” I remark and slowly get off of my husband. Peeta brings his chair up after I’m seated. “Maybe we should get this weekly meeting going. We have to pick up Prim from school.”

“Speaking of Prim,” I say to him. “Parent-Teacher Night at her school. We should go, right?”

He looks over at me in surprise. “They still do that in high school?”

“At her school, yes,” I reply. “Lowell is big on involvement. They don’t want them dropping out, getting pregnant, or getting married too early. That’s going to be an interesting evening for us.”

“I think we pretty much threw that whole thing in their faces.” Peeta rests his back against his chair and looks out at the ocean in front of us. “We should have made her go to Mercy. At least it’s an all-girls school and we wouldn’t have to worry about the boy factor.”

The sky is blue and clear but it is windy. Besides the surfers, there are some runners going up and down the sidewalk. Taking his hand, I trace patterns with my finger on his palm. He inhales sharply but remains staring at the view in front of him.

I wonder what he thinks about when he becomes silent like this.

The last six months have not been the easiest. There are times when Peeta will wake up from horrible nightmares. There are no pictures he tells me, just sounds, specifically those of breaking glass and twisting metal.

When he wakes from them, he sleeps on the couch so he won’t bother me. It’s a foolish act, since I can never sleep without him beside me. I usually join him after he has settled in. Prim has found us this way a dozen times; my body on top of his, my head on his chest and one of his hands tangled in my hair.

The day we actually saw his wrecked Chevy had been a hard one. I thought Peeta would pass out as he stared at it. His nightmare now had a visual. I almost threw up. Just a few inches and his door would have been totaled. I can’t bear to even finish the thought.

After we had returned from Rye’s shop that night, I held him in the darkness and rubbed his back as he shook. When he turned to me with his pained blue eyes, I didn’t stop him from kissing me, nor when he lifted my shirt over my head.

My thoughts are interrupted by Peeta, who is now gazing at me.

“You okay?” he asks softly and I nod.

Even though we are older and wiser, we are still not allowed to drink. In a few months, though, we will be.

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “So do you want to go with me to Prim’s school?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Peeta gives me an easy smile. “Also, Wheaton is wondering if Prim can watch Rhea for an hour or so next week. Carrie has a follow up appointment.”

“It’s weird that he would trust her with a newborn. On the other hand, Prim does have the magic touch.”

Rhea Vivian (named after both of her grandmothers) Mellark is only two weeks old. She is a beautiful baby, blessed with her mother’s dark hair and dark eyes.

Last week, as the colicky baby cried through the family dinner, Prim was the only one able to soothe her. My sister’s gentle touch actually put her to sleep in only a few seconds. At that point, Wheaton and Carrie almost burst into tears. The two had not slept in days.

Wheaton and Carrie had also reached an agreement of sorts. Their relationship is improving and they even went to counseling during Carrie’s pregnancy. Wheaton adores Rhea. I think he has fallen even more in love with Carrie because she gave him Rhea. He actually just purchased a house on the same block as Mom and Dad as a birthday present to Carrie.

It’s good that they are close by, especially since Mom’s health has deteriorated. We were hopeful after the mastectomy and radiation treatment she had after Peeta was released. She continued with chemotherapy, but the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes and has been deemed inoperable.

Mom has taken it with graceful acceptance. She told me last week when I came to visit that she is the happiest she’s ever been.

“I spent my life angry about things,” she told me. “I was angry about my father taking off when I was kid, then about being poor. Then I was angry about Wheaton’s first and second wives because they used him. They really hurt my boy.”

“What about me?” I asked her. “You weren’t too keen on me.”

“I was worried that you might do the same,” she replied honestly. “The major difference is that you’ve never tried to impress me. In the end, you were just you and I love that about you. I know that is why Peeta loves you.”

“Are you scared?”

Mom shook her head. “No, I’m happy. My boys are happy. There are children to keep my husband busy and for me to hug for as long as I can. I think all of my boys have made the right decisions with who to spend their lives with.”

Peeta interrupts my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.

“Sweetheart,” he whispers into my ear. “Now where did you go?”

“Nowhere,” I say, leaning against him as he puts an arm around me. Running his fingers up and down my arm, Peeta gives me a teasing smile. “Our one year anniversary is coming up.”

“One year, huh?” He kisses the side of my head. “Who would’ve thought? What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “Annie suggested dinner and sex.”

He sits up at my words. “I like the way Annie thinks.”

“You would.” I swat his chest lightly. “I don’t really care if we do anything.”

Peeta turns to me with a serious look in his eyes. “After everything we’ve been through together, we should celebrate.”

I reach over to cup his face. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s do something,” I say to him. “It’s our paper anniversary, after all.”

“Paper anniversary,” he repeats to himself and then turns to me. “What were you planning to get me?”

“Annie did suggest naked photos.”

I look over at him and realize that though she was joking, I was actually considering the idea. Peeta can tell what I am thinking. He has a way of knowing what I’m thinking even before I know what I’m thinking.

Suddenly, he gives me a thorough kiss.

Our surfer friends hoot and holler at us from their Jeep. As they pull away from their parking space, they blow their horn repeatedly before speeding off.

“No wonder her and Finnick work so well together,” he says to me. “They’re both perverts.” He looks at his phone. “We’d better pick up Prim.”

“What are you going to get me?”

He starts the car, ignoring my question.

“Peeta.”

“Yes?” He is pulling out of our parking space.

“What are you getting me?”

Turning the steering wheel and straightening the car, he turns to me. “I’m going to make you a mixtape, with all your favorite songs like ‘Corona and Lime’ and the one that talks about having an ugly wife.”

“Very funny. That’s not even paper,” I reply with a scowl.

“You know that paper cover that you can write the playlist on? That counts,” he teases.

“Well then,” I cross my arms. “Forget those naked pictures then!”

++++++

As we pull up, Rory and Prim are a few feet away from the sidewalk. They look immersed in their conversation. Prim’s face is flushed and she is gesturing wildly.

“I think they’re having a fight,” Peeta says as we watch them from our parked car.

Prim grabs her books from Rory’s hand and turns, seeing us. She stomps over.

“Prim! I’m not done talking to you,” Rory says as he approaches her.

“I’m done talking to you.” She opens the passenger and slams it roughly. Turning away from the window, her eyes meet Peeta’s in the rearview mirror. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?” he asks.

Glaring at him, she throws her books on the seat next to her in anger. “I said YES!”

Peeta pulls away from the sidewalk quickly and I turn to see us driving further away from Rory. I look at my sister, who is laying back against the seat with her eyes closed as she stews in anger.

“You okay there?” I ask.

Prim looks like she’s about to cry as she opens her eyes. My heart breaks for her.

I turn to Peeta. “Let’s go get something to eat,” I tell him.

“Where?”

“Somewhere with carbs,” I say quietly. “Somewhere Thai.”

“Thai?”

“Yeah, it’s her comfort food,” I inform him.

“Thai it is.”

++++++

“And then he tells me that I can’t talk to Derek!” Prim says, shoveling Pad Thai noodles into her mouth. “I told him that we were just friends.” She takes a sip of her Thai tea. “Then I hear that he’s talking to Shelby Cross!”

“Who’s Shelby?” Peeta asks as he looks at her with wide eyes, surprised at her anger.

Peeta has never lived with a teenage girl and it has never been as obvious as it is right now.

“Some skank,” she mutters.

“Prim!” I glare at her. “Watch your language.”

“You called Clove a skank,” she retorts. “Last week while you were on the phone with Johanna, you said that if she tried to get near Peeta again that you would and I quote ‘throw her skank ass to the ground’. So why am I not allowed to say it?”

There have only been a few times when I’ve been annoyed with Prim and this is one of them. She is not usually a broody, hormonal teenager. But because she is distraught over this fight, I try not to respond.

I take a deep breath and look around the restaurant, designed to look like a straw hut with high ceilings and bamboo supports. Straw leaves are interwoven to make the wood paneling. The owner is a loud, heavy-set woman with a beautiful burgundy dress. When she meets my eyes, she gives me a sympathetic smile. She must have daughters.

“Because I am older than you and I say so,” I reply in a calm voice. “I know that you’re upset over this whole Rory thing, but you have to stop with the attitude.”

“I’m sorry,” she says to me quietly and I can see that she is on the verge of tears. “I really didn’t mean it, Katniss.”

“I know, love.” I take her hand from across the table. “You can’t overreact about this, though. I’m sure he didn’t mean what he said. He trusts you.”

“It’s all that Hawthorne angst, you know,” Prim tells me.

“Hawthorne angst?” Peeta says, leaning back against his chair to listen to what she has to say.

“Losing your girl to a good-looking blond,” she replies. “Gale lost Katniss to you, so now Rory’s afraid that he’ll lose me to Derek.”

“Wait, wait.” I hold up my hand. “First off, I was never with Gale. Second, that is just a ridiculous theory.”

“It is a good observation, though,” Prim says. “I’m sure that if anyone researched this theory in comparison to other couples, they would find some sort of correlation.”

“Maybe that should be your next project,” Peeta suggests. “Did you want any dessert?”

Prim smiles for the first time. “Thanks, Peeta. I’m going to go wash my hands.” Getting up, she walks to the back of the room where the restrooms are.

I turn to him and frown. “She thanks you? I’m the one that she’s been arguing with!”

“You never argue with a girl when she’s upset,” he says knowingly. “I know all about that.” He takes my hand and kisses it. “Did you really call Clove a skank?”

“Yes, and I’d do it again.”

“That’s my girl.” He pulls me to him so that our lips can meet, despite the fact that we have a good number of people around us.

I pull away embarrassed. The owner snaps her fingers and a waiter comes to refill our water glasses.

She walks over with a grin and pats my cheek. “Kissing is okay. Just make sure you bring me some babies to fatten up soon.”

Next to me, Peeta laughs loudly as I put my forehead on the table.

When I sit back up, he looks at the woman with a smile. “I think we are going to wait for now. We’re having a hard enough time with our first one!”

++++++

_See the girl who has lost the only love she ever had  
There's got to be no sadder show to see  
No doubt about it, satisfaction's guaranteed_

_So let the sideshow begin  
Hurry, hurry, step right on in  
Can't afford to pass it by  
Guaranteed to make you cry…_

We are both looking up at the ceiling as the music coming from Prim’s room blares through the wall. I look over at Peeta and kiss his bare shoulder. He groans and then turns on his side, facing me. I do the same and take his hand.

“This is torture,” he says to me. “You’re in practically nothing but I feel horrible for trying to touch you.”

Looking at the tank top nightgown I’m wearing, I giggle in spite of myself. “Yeah, the music does kind of ruin the mood, doesn’t it?”

“Ruin, destroy, obliterate….has any guy ever hurt you like this?”

I shake my head. “I think the closest I’ve been to being hurt like that was when you got your first kiss.”

Peeta sits up a bit. “Oh yeah? We were twelve though and going through that phase where you thought I was immature.”

“It didn’t matter when I found out about you kissing, Aimee,” I reply.

Aimee Lopez was actually a really nice girl. She was also very smart and pretty. It hurt because I saw her as someone who could potentially take my place in Peeta’s life. Girlfriends never like another female in their boyfriend’s lives.

“Aimee. I remember,” he says softly. “I was mad at you.”

“Mad at me?”

“You started hanging out with Gale more,” Peeta said. “So I picked a spot and kissed her, figuring one of those gossiping girls would see us and you would find out.”

“I was hanging out with him because my Mom told me that I needed to stop hanging all over you,” I say. “Also because I thought he was cool, of course.”

I was young and confused. I was jealous over any girl that even talked to him and I couldn’t understand why. When I asked my Mom, she gently explained that maybe I was feeling something more than just friendship.

Then she suggested that maybe we needed some space until I sorted things out.

“I didn’t want you to think that any guy was cooler than me,” he replies.

We stare at each other in the darkness and I move my body closer to his. I put one of my legs in between both of his.

“I’m sorry I kissed a girl to hurt you,” he says before grazing his lips over mine.

“I’m sorry I was so jealous that I made myself stop hanging out with you.”

Our lips meet again and this time the kiss starts that oh-so-familiar wetness between my legs. Peeta’s hands find their way to my ass, pushing me to him so that I can feel how hard he is.

Deepening the kiss, my hand reaches under the waistband of his pajama pants. I can feel the coarse hair before my hand finds my husband’s hard, velvety cock. I wrap my hand around him and move from base to tip, tightening my fist slightly before I let go.

“Oh God,” he whispers. “Katniss…”

I pull my hand out and he is about to protest when he sees me give the palm of my hand a firm lick.

“Holy shit, that was hot,” he says in a painful moan.

Maybe it’s the masochist in me, but I love hearing him like this, hurting with need for me. I grin before I begin to reach under his waistband again.

The sound of loud sobs over music stops my hand.

Sitting up, I look at my husband who lays prone before me, trying to calm his needy body. The tent in his pants is obvious.

Peeta’s eyes meet mine. “I’m going to fucking kill Rory.”

“Not if I kill him first,” I reply.

I stand up and put a robe on, then move to the dresser. Opening one of the drawers, I grab a shirt and toss it at him.

“Let’s go,” I say.

I open the door and lean against the doorway, waiting. Peeta sits at the edge of the bed with his head down and his eyes closed. After a moment, he gets up and puts the shirt on.

We both reach the door and can hear the muffled sobs of my sister.

I knock gently. “Prim, can we come in?”

I open the door and Prim is face down on her bed. The little stuffed duck that I gave her as a child is in her arms.

“Primmy,” Peeta says as he sits at the edge of her bed. “Don’t cry. It’s just a fight. All couples fight. Katniss and I did, remember, but we worked it out.”

She turns to him. Her skin is blotchy and her eyes a watery blue. “You guys didn’t talk for weeks! That’s not exactly encouraging.”

Peeta scratches the back of his head. “Yeah, that probably wasn’t the best example,” he says, looking to me.

“The point is that this isn’t going to be the last fight that you have,” I say.

This only makes her cry more.

Peeta and I are obviously not very good at dealing with teenage angst.

I undo Prim’s braid and run a hand through her hair. Peeta removes her shoes and places a blanket over her body. Lying on each side of her, we both wait for her sobs to stop. Prim is so tenderhearted and hates fighting. This whole mess with Rory has really put her on edge.

“Little duck,” I say softly. “You have to trust that things happen for a reason. You’re only fifteen and you have a lot to learn.”

“I just wish that we never had this fight,” she says, her mouth muffled against her pillow. “I hate that he talks to Shelby, even though I know that he would never do anything with her.”

“Sometimes boys do stupid things,” Peeta says. “It’s because they don’t know how to act when they’re hurt or scared.”

He looks up at me. In his mind, he has gone back to when we were twelve and he was kissing Aimee to get back at me.

I run my fingers through Prim’s hair, untangling strands and start to hum a tune that our Dad used to sing to us.

After a few minutes, Prim’s soft sigh tells us that she has fallen asleep. I kiss the top of her head.

“Good night,” I say into her hair.

When I look up, Peeta is looking at me with a soft smile.

“What?” I ask quietly.

“We’re raising a teenager,” he replies and gets up slowly as not to disturb Prim.

Coming over to my side, he holds out his hand and I take it, standing up quietly.

“I know,” I reply. “Her hormones are the reason we’re not doing it,” I whisper the last part.

“We played that same game that they are playing. We played it for a long time.” He leads me out of the room. “Since we were twelve, really.”

“What game?”

“The game where we danced around one another but never took a step forward,” he says seriously. “It took a fake marriage for us to get here.”

“Fake?” I repeat softly. At that time, maybe.

Peeta looks at his watch.

“Not anymore,” he tells me. “It’s after midnight and it’s our anniversary. From now on, it is real and every anniversary after this will be real.”

Once we reach our bedroom door, Peeta pushes me gently against it. Our chests press together and his face is so close to mine that I could count every blond eyelash if I wanted to.

“Real,” he whispers again. “You believe me, right?”

I take his face into my hands and kiss him, trying to pour myself into it.

I was never any good with words.

++++++

The buzz in my ears seems to get louder.

I’m standing in the corner of a classroom wearing a simple grey dress that Prim insisted I buy. She says it makes me look more mature, like someone who is raising a fifteen year old girl.

You would think that a teenager would be cool with their sister raising them. However, there’s a part of Prim that feels like she doesn’t really belong. I look around the room at all the parents, who are significantly older than us.

“Katniss!” I turn to see Rue, Prim’s best friend, running towards me.

Both girls are tall and thin, but that’s where the similarities end. While Prim’s hair is long, straight and blonde, Rue’s is shoulder length, dark and curly. Prim is pale like a china doll while Rue’s skin is a beautiful creamy mocha.

She gives me a hug. Like Prim, she is almost the same height as me. “Guess what? Peeta is going to let me work at the bakery! He just asked my parents for permission.”

“That’s awesome, Rue,” I reply. Looking over at Peeta, who is giving out various cookies and pastries at his own insistence, I smile when our eyes meet. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

She hugs me again before darting off. That girl is pure energy.

“Catnip.” I turn and see Gale with Johanna in tow.

“Hey guys,” I greet them. “What are you doing here?”

“My mom had to work, so I volunteered,” Gale tells me. “Actually Johanna did.”

“I didn’t want Katniss to stand here all alone like she’s been doing for the last half hour,” she replies and puts an arm around me.

“I have not.” I glare at her teasing grin. “I’ve been observing.”

“Observing your husband?” Johanna replies. “We’ve been on the other side of this room watching you the whole time. Isn’t this weekend the big night?”

“Uh-huh.” I am looking at Peeta, who is helping a woman. She is leaning so far forward that her chest is on full display.

Gale looks over to where my gaze is. “Don’t worry about fake tits over there.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that Peeta likes your itty-bitties just fine,” Johanna says. “If not, you can get new ones. You can afford them.”

“First off, I don’t have money, Peeta’s family does,” I tell her. “Second, they are not small. They’re average.”

Johanna shakes her head. “No, mine are average. Yours are tiny,” she states. “I can cup them both with one hand.”

She reaches over to demonstrate but I back away, defending myself against my friend’s probing hands.

“Okay, let’s all stop talking about breasts before I have an aneurysm,” Gale says and leads both of us to desks so that we can sit before the presentations begin.

Peeta joins in a few minutes later, sitting next to me. It’s like high school all over again.

“Hey guys,” he greets Johanna and Gale. “What were you talking about before I came over? It seemed like a really interesting conversation.” I know he saw Johanna by the small grin on his face. Gale turns beet red.

“Tell me, Peeta, do you think Katniss’ breasts are on the average side?” Johanna asks.

“Will you shut up?” I say suddenly.

“Jeez, sensitive much?” Johanna replies.

Prim’s teacher, a woman with graying hair and a kind smile, is in the front of the classroom. I glance over to where Prim and Rue are sitting in the front. Rory is a few seats away, clearly staring at my sister who is ignoring him.

Johanna leans towards me when she sees what I’m looking at. “It’s like a scene from Dawson’s Creek or something.”

“I know,” I whisper. “How’s Rory?”

“Mopey, angry,” Gale tells us. “The usual teenage boy behavior.”

“Hello everyone,” Prim’s teacher greets everyone and we stop talking to pay attention. “I am Mrs. Sanchez, your children’s English and Literature teacher.”

Mrs. Sanchez outlines the curriculum reading which includes two books (Pride and Prejudice and 1984) as well as one play (Death of a Salesman). She then starts talking about the latter part of the year, which will include essay writing and preparation for the advanced placement exam in literature.

“We have also been writing poetry. In fact, I’ve have asked one of our very talented students to share some of her writings with all of us. Please welcome, Primrose Everdeen!”

I turn to Peeta. “Did you know about this?”

He shrugs. “Nope.”

Prim, in her cream colored dress, stands and walks to the front of the room. Her hair is pulled back, showing off her delicate heart shaped face.

She smiles at everyone and unfolds a piece of paper.

“Good evening, everyone,” she says in her light voice. “I would like to read a poem for all of you tonight.” She takes a deep breath. “It is called ‘Scum’.”

I feel my body freeze. This is so not good.

“Ohmigod, she’s going to really give it to him,” Johanna says, leaning over.

I glare at her. “This is not funny.” I turn to Peeta. “We have to do something.”

“Don’t overreact,” he says to me. “It might not be what we think it is.”

“Scum,” Prim begins sharply and her eyes meet Rory’s for a split second. “Putrid, festering, maggot-attracting…”

I’m not even halfway to the front when Peeta strides over to Prim and practically carries her out of the room.

I go to the front and turn to everyone. People actually look green in the face.

“We are having some technical difficulties,” I tell everyone awkwardly. I look over at Mrs. Sanchez, who nods before I run out of the room.

In the hallway, I can see that Peeta wagging his finger at Prim. She is looking at the ground with her arms crossed. His face is beet red.

“Primrose, what was that?” I ask when I reach them.

She looks up at hearing me say her full name. Tears are streaked down her face.

“I wrote what I feel,” she tells me simply. “I feel like scum.”

Footsteps behind me tell me that our two friends are joining us, along with one more person. Rory.

He walks over to her. Rory, like Gale, is a serious boy. With that deep frown on his face, he looks older than fifteen.

“Prim, talk to me,” he says to her.

“Why?” she asks him. “You don’t listen to me. You don’t trust me. I was never out to hurt you.” Her voice is hoarse.

“I love you, Prim,” he tells her in a soft voice.

“You don’t know what love means.” She looks over at Peeta and me. “They love each other. They trust each other.” She looks at him again. “Do you trust me?”

He doesn’t speak, but looks up after a moment. “I’m trying to.”

Prim shakes her head. “That’s not good enough for me,” she says to him. “What you feel for me isn’t real.”

She straightens herself. Her eyes are stoic, though I know that she is breaking.

“I’m done,” Prim tells him.

Rory looks like he’s been stabbed in the gut.

And just like we witnessed Prim’s first kiss, we’ve witnessed her first breakup.

She turns to look at Peeta and me. “I’ll be waiting by the car.”

I turn to look at my friends. Gale is obviously upset for Rory and pats his back consolingly. Johanna runs a hand through the young boy’s hair, trying to get him to look up. Rory chooses to stare at his shoes.

I meet Gale’s eyes. What a mess.

++++++

“You look beautiful,” Prim says softly.

I stand up and run my hands down the dress. It is a long-sleeved black lace sheath dress that clings to me. Prim has fixed my hair so it falls in smooth waves, and also gave me a bit of color by doing my makeup. The outfit is completed by very high uncomfortable heels.

“Are you alright, little duck?” I ask. “We don’t have to go tonight.”

Prim is dealing with the breakup quietly. She doesn’t cry like before, but still eats and sleeps regularly. Her grades are perfect and she still tutors students often.

It’s almost like the breakup never happened.

But I know my sister. I can see that her smile is never as wide as it once was. Her body seems to sag and I see the resigned look in her eyes. No one else can see these things but me.

“No, you should go,” she replies and gives me a small smile. “I’ll be fine here. I get to watch Rhea.”

Prim is staying at Mom and Dad’s house tonight. The whole family has rallied together to cheer my sister up. In fact, they have a planned a whole movie night and sleepover for her. No sad movies or love stories, just slasher and action flicks. Rye and Marvel have made all of her favorite foods.

Someone knocks and then the door opens softly. Carrie enters, along with the pink bundle that is Rhea.

“Katniss, you look gorgeous,” she tells me. “Prim, would you hold Rhea? I need to pump and then I’ll be right down.”

“Of course,” Prim says and takes the infant.

I look down at the baby’s chubby cheeks and inhale her powder scent. When I look up, I see Prim is actually grinning at me.

“Getting inspired?” she jokes. “I would love a niece or nephew.”

“You’ve decided to be funny now?” I say as we walk carefully down the stairs, me because of my heels and Prim because of the baby.

“I hide heartache with humor,” she replies. “I’ve developed some sarcasm over the last few days.”

“You’re becoming more and more like me.”

When we walk into the living room, my heart stops when I see Peeta. He is in a navy suit that fits him like a glove. His blond hair is slicked back and I know he must have asked Cinna about how to do it. Cinna’s been pushing him to try it for awhile.

“You look beautiful,” he says before ogling my dress. He holds out a bright yellow flower. “I know how much you hate roses.”

“A dandelion…you got me a dandelion.” Memories of picnics in dandelion fields with my parents and Prim fill my mind. I toy with its petals. “How did you remember?”

“It’s my job to remember or suffer the consequences,” he replies easily.

Rye and Marvel cut through us. “Pizza is here!” Marvel places it on the coffee table and the two of them turn to us.

“Well, aren’t you a piece of work?” Rye says to me. “Turn around, sis.”

I oblige and do a turn.

Marvel lets out a whistle. “You really do look lovely, Kat.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Please don’t call me that.”

He laughs and kisses the top of my head. “Sorry,” he says with a smile. After shaking Peeta’s hand, he plops himself on the couch next to Rye and places an arm around him.

“I think I made the right choice,” Mom says.

She has definitely gotten paler and skinnier. Dad carries her whenever she needs to go anywhere in the house. A nurse comes when necessary, but she is only there for pain control.

“So this dress wasn’t an old one like you said?” I ask her.

“I knew that you wouldn’t take it,” she responds evenly.

“You really thought that was old?” Rye says. “This gorgeous Michael Kors from Bergdorf Goodman? The one I bought a week ago?”

“You have awesome taste,” Peeta tells his brother. He looks at me from head to toe. “Really awesome taste.”

“Thanks!” Rye smiles smugly.

“Hey, Peeta,” Wheaton calls out. “Catch!” He throws a set of keys. “Rye had the wardrobe, I got the location.”

“So you do have the best brothers in the world,” Carrie says as she enters the room.

He grins and kisses her cheek. “My sisters are much better, though,” Peeta says, winking at Prim.

“We should get going,” I tell him.

He nods and we wave to everyone before heading to the door.

As we walk into the entryway, I hear someone running. I know those light footsteps. It’s Prim.

We turn to see her and she throws her arms around both of our necks. Both Peeta and I enfold her in a hug.

“Happy Anniversary guys,” she says to us when we pull away. “Don’t worry about me, okay? I want you to have fun. After all, your relationship is the standard that I will hold all my future relationships up to.”

She gives us an assuring smile.

“You really are becoming more like me,” I tell her.

++++++

“Where are we?” I ask Peeta.

We are walking in a back alley. Normally this would be fine, except that we are around Civic Center and close to the Tenderloin. It’s not uncommon to see a crackhead roaming around this neighborhood. We just stepped over someone sleeping against the brick wall next to us.

“Don’t worry,” Peeta says.

“If that guy wakes up, you’re going to have to fight him because my dress is too short and your mother will kill me if I ruin it. I also don’t want that guy to see my lady parts if I try to kick him.” I pull down the hem of the skirt.

“We’re already here,” he says, pointing to a door in the brick wall. Peeta takes the key that Wheaton gave him and unlocks it. Opening the door, he bows mockingly. “Ladies first.”

“How southern gent of you,” I say and walk through the door.

When he closes it, we are in complete darkness. I can hear him shuffling around.

“Peeta—“ I am cut off by his mouth covering mine. In the darkness, my senses are heightened. I can feel the roughness of his kiss and when his tongue enters my mouth, I clench my thighs. Suddenly, I’m aware of just how wet I’ve become.

He pulls away. “I better find the lights.” Peeta is breathless and aroused, which I can hear in his voice.

“Or you don’t have to,” I suggest in the darkness. I hear him chuckle. “There are some benefits to being in the darkness.”

“Like what?” The shuffling of my husband is somewhere to my left.

“I can take off my dress and jump around.”

“How would that benefit me?” Now it sounds like he is only a few feet away.

“You wouldn’t see that horrible blush that I get all over.”

“I like that blush.” I hear a crash. “Shit!”

“You okay there?” Silence. Now I’m starting to worry. “Peeta?”

“On the first day, God said ‘Let there be light.’” Bright lights turn on overhead and I shield my eyes. Peeta rushes over to me. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Looking around, I see that we are backstage somewhere. The lights above me are actually theater lights. I see the sandbags hanging overhead and in front of me are thick, bright red curtains leading to a dusty stage. I turn to him. “Where are we?”

His usually pale cheeks redden. “The Orpheum.”

“The Orpheum?” I repeat in disbelief. “As in the theater?”

“The stage manager owes us,” Peeta tells me. “Caesar has been a friend of my parents for a long time and they are regular patrons.” He takes my hand. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” He pulls me onto the stage where a folding table and chairs have been placed in the middle. I laugh when I see the familiar box and the paper plates. “Krispy Kremes?”

“Hey! I traveled all the way to Daly City for those,” he replies.

“Daly City is twenty minutes away,” I argue.

“There was traffic on the 280.” He pulls out my chair. “You can take the heels off if you want. You’ve been wincing since we left the house.”

I kick them off promptly and moan loudly. “It feels so good to be out of those.”

Peeta takes off his jacket and puts it on the back of the chair.

I look around and see nothing but empty seats in front of us. The mezzanine and balcony tiers are cloaked in shadows. Right next to the stage is the orchestra pit. I walk over to the pit is and look at the music stand arrangement.

“You hungry?” Peeta asks from where he sits. Opening the box, he takes a paper plate and places a glazed donut on it.

Walking over, I sit back down and take a bite of the donut. It is still warm. “So good,” I say, and quickly finish it off. “So why did you decide on the Orpheum?”

Peeta wipes his hands and reaches into his pocket. He places a plastic case on the table and pushes it towards me.

I pick it up and read over the list. “I thought you were joking.”

He grins and shakes his head. “I would never joke about an anniversary present.”

“You really put ‘Corona and Lime’ on this,” I say and can’t help but grin. “A mix tape. You really made me a mix tape.”

“It wasn’t easy,” he replies. “Since the tape player is very antiquated, I had to find a place that still has one.” Peeta holds up his hands presenting the theater. “And I found it.”

Grabbing the case, I watch him disappear backstage. When I hear the sounds of the guitar, I smile as Peeta rushes back.

I stand up. “How very urban of you. What else is on this list?”

Peeta hands me the now empty case and I look over the playlist.

“Come on,” he says after a moment. “Dance with me.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and he pulls me close so we can sway.

_Lately you've been questioning  
If I still see you the same way  
Cause through these trying years  
We gonna both physically change _

_Now don't you know you you'll always be  
The most beautiful woman I know  
So let me reassure you darlin that  
My feelings are truly unconditional…_

“Smooth,” I tell him. “Real smooth.”

“Since I made this tape,” he starts with a teasing grin, “Will you take the naked pictures?” I shake my head. “Come on.”

“You want to spend your anniversary on the couch?”

“Okay,” Peeta relents. He pulls away so he can look at me. “Can we dance to this song on our 25th?”

“Now that’s a better question,” I say, laying my head back on his shoulder. “And the answer is yes.”

++++++

“Have you ever been to Point Reyes?” Peeta asks me as we sit in the back of his car. My heels are thrown on the floor along with my stockings. Peeta’s jacket is thrown in the front of the car and hanging on the wheel. His tie joins my shoes on the floor.

“No, never been,” I tell him as I undo the laces of his dress shoes. I pull one off and then toss it to the front of the car. The other shoe follows soon after.

I put my feet up next to the headrest of the passenger seat. Peeta lays his head back in between the V of my upper and lower body.

Fort Miley is one of the only places in San Francisco where you can actually see the stars. There are no streetlights, just darkness in this cliffside parking lot. The low foghorn of the Point Reyes lighthouse is heard from across the San Francisco Bay.

It’s a perfect, clear night.

“There are 300 steps to get down to the lighthouse,” he tells me as I run my hand through his sweaty hair. “I always wanted to try it.”

We danced to every song on that playlist. The windows are getting steamed up due to our warm breath and sweat.

“Then let’s go,” I tell him. “We danced for almost two hours so I think we can handle 300 steps.”

“Remember, we are going to have to come up so it’s 600 steps.”

I look down at his head in my lap. I want to memorize every single detail of his face; the shape of his eyes and the long eyelashes surrounding them, his strong, square jaw and full lips. Unconsciously, I trace his jawline with fingers. He sucks in a deep breath.

“What are you doing?” he asks quietly.

“Memorizing,” I tell him.

He reaches behind my neck and pulls me down gently toward his welcoming lips. I feel the warmth spread throughout my body. His other hand is reaching for my upper back and I can feel him pull at the zipper slightly.

Tap, tap.

Peeta sits up quickly. “Shit! It’s the cops.”

“What?” I scramble for my shoes and so does he. When we have our shoes back on, Peeta rolls down the window.

Two officers await us outside. “Will you both step out of the car?” the first officer says sternly. He is older than the man beside him, who looks to be around our age.

Slowly, we open the door and Peeta gets out first. He helps me get out of the car because my legs are shaking.

We are in so much trouble and I know it. My first thought is that we are going to be arrested.

“What are you two doing here?” he asks and then he looks at his watch. “It’s almost two in the morning.”

“We were talking,” I tell him.

The officer takes a flashlight from his belt and looks into the car. His eyes find my stockings along with Peeta’s tie on the floor. He surveys the rest of the car and the steamed up windows only further his accusation.

“Officer, we weren’t doing anything,” Peeta reasons calmly. He can see that I’m starting to panic. “It’s our anniversary, you see.”

“Anniversary? You kids don’t know anything about an anniversary,” he declares snootily.

“We’re married,” I tell him angrily. “I think we must know something about relationships.”

“ID’s.” That’s his response.

Peeta gets my purse from the car and then he reaches into his back pocket for his own. The officer holds his flashlight to them.

He hands them to the other officer. “I need you to do a check on them.”

The other officer nods and then takes the ID’s. When he looks at mine, he looks up suddenly.

“Katniss Everdeen.” His face splits into a grin. “All grown up.”

“Do I know you?” I ask him. “And it’s Katniss Mellark.”

He runs a hand through his red hair and gives me a boyish grin. “It’s me, Darius!”

“Darius?” He was one of Gale’s friends and two grades higher than Peeta and I in high school.

I smile at him despite the situation. “It’s really good to see you,” I say. Then I look at him. “Well, not that good at the moment.”

“You know these two?” the other cop asks him.

“I tried to get this girl to kiss me once,” he tells his partner. “She wasn’t having it, though.” He looks over at Peeta. “Now I know why. I know you, too. Rye’s brother, right?”

“Yeah,” Peeta responds sheepishly.

Darius looks over at his partner. “Give them a break, man. They’re good people and from what I can guess, newlyweds.”

“It’s our anniversary and we were just needed some alone time,” I tell them. Peeta takes my hand.

“Well, Darius, I already logged this in,” the other officer replies. “We have to bring them in for something.”

“We can take them in for parking in the red zone,” Darius says.

“Fine, but you have to have someone sign them out at the station.”

It was my first time in a cop car.

++++++

I am sitting on top of the counter at the station.

“So you’ve been married for a year?” Darius asks as he writes his report for the car. They towed the car, so Peeta will be paying a hefty amount to get it back, along with the towing fee.

“Yup.”

“Is he treating you well?” he asks. I nod, my lips forming a small smile. “You look happy. Not like in high school.”

Peeta walks back in with his hands in his pocket looking down. When he spots me, he gives me a weak smile.

“Who did you call?” I ask.

“Before you say anything, I didn’t want to call the house,” he tells me. “They’re probably all asleep and I didn’t want anyone to think the worst. So I had to call someone with a little pull.”

“Who?” I get down from the counter. Peeta won’t meet my eyes. “Peeta Mellark.”

Before he can say anything, the entrance door bangs open and a grinning Haymitch stumbles in.

He meets my eyes. “Of all the things I would think you’d be brought in for, necking in the car was not one of them.”

“We were not necking,” I argue. “Who even says necking anyway?”

“I’m trying to help you, sweetheart,” Haymitch says. “Now do you want me to sign you out or not? Unless you really do want to get arrested.”

Five minutes later, we are exiting the Richmond District Police Station.

“Are there mugshots?” Haymitch asks jokingly.

“Not funny,” I tell him.

He turns to Peeta and me. “No, it’s not funny. Talk to your friend and make sure that report is private.”

“What’s going on?” Peeta asks.

“Two weeks,” Haymitch says. “Snow wants to see you. No car accident or arrest is going to stop it from happening this time. The new supervisor is riding his ass, so Snow is dead serious on making sure that every case under him is perfect.”

“Well…fuck,” I say after a moment.

My husband agrees with my outburst. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I know that some of you will be a little unhappy about Prim breaking up with Rory. Keep in mind, they are only fifteen.

Also, the part where she is crying in her room listening to sad oldies? That was me at 15.

Prim goes to Lowell High School, but Peeta mentions Mercy. Mercy High School is another high school in San Francisco. It is a private all-girls school.

The Thai restaurant is based on Marnee Thai in the Sunset District. The owners are a couple. The husband is the chef and the wife is the hostess. She orders for me when I’m there.

Orpheum Theater is a theater space where a lot of the musicals and plays that come to San Francisco are performed. In fact, I’m going to see Les Miserables there at the end of this month.

The whole mixtape is inspired by some funny conversations I’ve had with a whole bunch of people from my husband to my Twitter pals.

I had a conversation with my husband over the consequences of indecent exposure in California. They are pretty harsh, like jail time harsh. Not sure if it’s different in any other states.

In the book, Darius is one of the Peacekeepers in District 12 who became an Avox before he is killed.

Point Reyes is a lighthouse in Marin and it does have 300 steps to go down to it. You also have to go during certain seasons also. My friend did this walk and almost cried.

Fort Miley is an actual lookout point and a former military reservation. It was part of the sea coast defense during World War II.

It is kind of a make out spot.

Songs:

Corona and Lime-Shwayze

Sideshow-Blue Magic

Don’t Change-Musiq Soulchild

All questions, comments can be sent to me through tumblr: http://jlalafics.tumblr.com/ or through my e-mail at JLaLaFics@yahoo.com. You can also sign my guestbook on my site: jlala.webs.com

Thank you for your patience!

Next: Snow…from Peeta’s POV

-JLaLa


	15. Part Three: Peeta

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

And love, we need it now  
Let's hope for some  
Cause oh, we're bleeding out

I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart…

-The Lumineers (Hey Ho)

Thank you to Chelzie for being awesome and catching my mistakes.

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Three, Chapter Fourteen: Peeta

“So did you talk to Darius?” Haymitch asks my wife as he chews on a piece of kimchee pancake, then pours himself a glass of pineapple soju.

“We weren’t technically arrested,” Katniss explains and reaches for some bulgolgi with her chopsticks. She places it on Prim’s plate though the rest of the food on it remains untouched. “There’s no record other than Peeta’s car being in a red zone.”

Prim picks at the meat before placing her chopsticks down and looking at the table.

I reach for Katniss’ hand under the table and she meets my eyes. It has been a week since we were taken into the police station. It’s also been a week since Prim had her heart broken. Definitely not the best week for either of my girls.

Katniss is worried about the interview. She cleans constantly to get rid of her nervous energy. Even though she is usually unsuccessful, she has also asked Carrie to teach her how to cook so she can be a little more “domestic”. On top of all this, she is working on a paper that requires a good amount of research on sustainable architecture.

She hasn’t slept. And if she doesn’t sleep then I don’t sleep.

Prim mopes around a lot. If she is not moping, she is staring at something; either out the window or at the piano keys at my parents’ house. We often find her staring up at the ceiling of her room once we return home from work. She still smiles, but according to Katniss, it’s not the same smile.

Right now, she is staring at her plate. Her listlessness worries Effie, who reaches over to feel her forehead.

“Prim, my dear, are you alright?” she asks my sister, concern in her eyes. Effie’s light blonde hair is pulled back in a simple bun. Her face is not powdered, but naturally pale due to her peaches and cream complexion. Her outfit is also different. She is wearing a jean jacket that I suspect belongs to Haymitch. “You haven’t eaten anything.”

“I’m fine,” Prim responds and puts her napkin on the table. “I’m going to go to the restroom.” She stands up and Katniss moves to follow her. Prim puts her hand up. “I’m fine. You don’t need to go with me.”

Katniss sits back down and her eyes follow her sister to the front of the restaurant where the restroom is located. The restaurant is small, built in the garage of a house and hidden cleverly among houses that look just like it. The only distinguishable quality is the small sign with its Korean name on it.

“Sorry, Effie, “Katniss apologizes for Prim’s standoffish behavior. “She hasn’t been herself since the dark day.”

“That boy must’ve done a number on her heart,” Effie replies sympathetically. “I’ve been there.” She glances over at Haymitch, who is handing the empty soju carafe to the waitress so he can get a refill.

Haymitch turns and puts an arm around her shoulders. Effie blushes. “Who hurt you, doll?”

“Some boy,” she replies staring back at him.

“I’ll kick his ass,” he tells her valiantly and Effie’s lips break into a smile.

“Then you should get a mirror,” she tells him. “It will be hard to punch your own face if you can’t see it.”

“Burn,” Katniss says with one loud laugh.

Haymitch reaches for Effie’s hand and he blows a raspberry on it before entwining their fingers. It’s the most affectionate I’ve ever seen him. They must be getting on well, or getting it on well.

“Back to business,” I say, interrupting their interlude. “What happens next week?”

“Your appointment is next Thursday at noon, ” Haymitch informs us. “We will be there, of course.”

“And on time,” Effie adds. “We go over our own notes with Snow. Then you will be brought in.”

“You just need to be your regular old charming selves,” Haymitch looks over at Katniss. “Especially you.” She turns slightly purple as she tries to rein in her temper. He is testing her and she knows it.

Katniss takes a breath before speaking. “Thank you for the feedback,” she says in a tight voice.

I kiss behind her ear. “Relax,” I tell her and I can feel her body sink against mine.

“I’m trying,” she replies as she bites her lip nervously. “With Prim, school and all of this—I think I might lose it.”

“I know that this might sound like complete bullshit, but we’re going to be okay,” I assure her. “You have to trust me.”

Katniss gives me a quick nod before I notice her focusing on something else behind me. Prim is walking over to us and she is visibly paler. Her steps are stiff.

All of us shoot out of our seats. Katniss and Effie get to her first. Effie puts her hand to the back of Prim’s neck, then on her forehead again.

“I don’t feel well,” Prim whimpers and I notice her eyes are glazed over.

“She’s burning up,” Effie tells us. “You’d better get her home.”

Haymitch goes to my little sister and scoops her up easily. “Come on, darling. Let’s get you to the car.” He turns to me. “Take care of the bill, won’t you?”

I grumble, but hand my card over to the waitress who passes me.

++++++

Annie tells us that it is a stomach virus after coming to see us that same evening. It’s been going around. She is also not surprise that Prim caught it easily. Lack of rest and stress has weakened her immune system, which Prim knows. In-between throwing up, she apologizes for not taking better care of herself.

“I could already feel myself getting sick,” she admits while she sitting on the bathroom floor. I walk over to hand her a glass of water and move back to the doorway since we are all congregating in such a small space. Katniss is sitting next to her, rubbing her back. Her eyes meet mine worriedly. It is the worst time for Prim to be sick and we both know it.

“Why didn’t you mention any of this?” Katniss asks her.

“I thought I was just overreacting to…everything,” Prim tells us. Before she can continue, Prim throws up again. I feel my stomach turn.

“Do you want to go out and get the prescription that Annie put in at Walgreens?” Katniss asks. “You might want to get her some broth because it’s about the only thing I think she can keep down.” Prim groans. “And some crackers.”

“Sure.” I kiss her quickly on the lips and ruffle Prim’s hair. “I’ll be back with your medicine, Prim, and you’ll be good as new.”

Since it is well past nine o’clock, I take Great Highway over to the 24-hour Walgreens. Prim will definitely be out of school for at least a day or two. I make a mental note to ask Rue to get her schoolwork for her during her shift at the bakery tomorrow afternoon.

When I enter the drugstore, I grab the broth and crackers before going to the pharmacy section to check on Prim’s prescription. While they fill it, I sit in the waiting area and close my eyes for a moment. It has been a long week and it’s starting to catch up with me. I’m exhausted.

“Peeta?” I look up and see Wheaton standing before me. I don’t even recognize him for a moment. He is in a hooded sweater with matching sweats. His usually neat hair looks rumpled. “What are you doing here?”

“Prim has a stomach virus,” I tell him. “Just waiting for her meds and getting her something that she can keep down. And you?”

He sits next to me. “We ran out of diapers.” Wheaton presents a package of disposable diapers.

“I thought you were using cloth diapers,” I ask.

“We went through all of them and the service truck won’t be coming till the day after tomorrow. Don’t tell Katniss.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Was she able to get through the LEED standards that I e-mailed her?” he asks.

“I don’t think so.”

We sit in silence for a moment. I was never super close to Wheaton. Our age difference kept us from ever attending school together like I did with Rye.

“How are things going with Carrie?” I find myself asking.

Wheaton’s mouth forms a small grin. “She’s great; a natural born mother, really. Rhea adores her. I can tell.”

“And you?”

“I adore her, too,” he says sheepishly. “It just took me a little longer than necessary to realize it.”

“Any advice on marriage?” I ask with a grin.

“Kiss her more,” Wheaton tells me.

“Isn’t that how you got into this whole diaper mess?” I reply.

“I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.” Wheaton leans forward and clasps his hand in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more alive than I do now.” He looks over at me. “I’m sure you understand the feeling.”

Wheaton and I share more things in common than I realize.

“Sir?” The pharmacist is holding out the medicine bag from the counter. I walk over and take the bag.

Before I go, I look over at my brother. “Remember what I said,” he tells me.

I nod and turn to leave. Suddenly, I find myself turning to him. “That’s a good look for you. It’s better than the stick up your butt suits that you usually wear.”

He gives me the finger.

I laugh before turning to leave. Wheaton really has changed.

000000

When I get home, Katniss is asleep next to Prim in her bed. I place the bottle of syrup on Prim’s side table before going to the other side. I gently shake my wife awake.

“Katniss,” I whisper into her ear. Her eyes flutter open and then she focuses on me.

“She passed out about twenty minutes ago,” she tells me.

“Should we wake her to take the medicine?”

Katniss shakes her head. “No, let her sleep.”

Getting up gently, we walk together to our room and quietly close the door behind us. Katniss takes off her shirt and I watch her unclasp her bra before she reaches into one of the drawers for a shirt. Slipping it on, she peels off her jeans and tosses them into our corner chair. The shirt is long enough for her to use as a nightgown.

I enjoy how comfortable she is with letting me see her. She has, in my opinion, a beautiful body. Katniss doesn’t blink an eye when I change into my own sleep clothes.

“I am so exhausted,” she says as she sits on the edge of the bed. “The paper is due in three days and now Prim is sick.” Katniss puts her head in her hands. “I have the worst luck.”

I cluck my tongue. “WE have the worst luck then, remember? You don’t need to do this by yourself. You have me and the rest of the family.”

“I know,” she says with a sigh. “I have so much running through my head right now.”

“You need to relax.”

Katniss throws her hands up in frustration. “Don’t give me that. Give me something better to go on.”

Sometimes she really pisses me off.

I’m tired and her pessimistic attitude is definitely not helping. We stare at one another and wait to see which one of us is going to break first.

Since we were kids, I was always fascinated with how intense her gaze could get for someone so young. She’s always had a way of bringing me to my knees when she does this. I’ve been a damn sucker anytime she acknowledges me.

I feel myself harden as I stare at her. Katniss adjusts herself from where she sits and her eyes briefly glance at my erection.

Walking towards her, I slowly get down on my knees in front of her.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice a pitch higher than usual.

“Helping you relax.” I widen her legs by pushing her knees apart. “Now lay back.”

“You don’t have to do this,” she tells me, though does what I say.

I run my hands up the tops of her thighs and she whimpers. The scent of her is right in front of me. I inhale deeply before placing a gentle kiss on the inside of each thigh. She opens her legs wider for me and I know that I have her.

I’m not possessive, but to see her present herself to me turns me on like nothing else. Pushing her shirt up higher, I reach for the waistband of her panties and grin when I see the color. “Orange?”

“You said you liked the color,” she responds as she pushes herself up, using her elbows as support. “Maybe I subconsciously picked it.”

“Maybe.” I tug her panties down gently and she lifts her hips so I can slide them down her legs. “Perfect.”

“Not perfect,” she tells me as she lies back down again.

“Trust me, you are.” I place her left leg over my shoulder and then the do the same with the right. “Move closer to the edge.” Katniss does what I say so that her thighs are now on my shoulders.

Lifting her hips to bring her to me, I slowly lick her slit and her body visibly shakes. I flatten my tongue against her opening and slowly drag it against her. When my mouth reaches her clit, I circle the tip of my tongue on it. She moans again, but even louder as she pushes herself against me which spurs me on. My mouth latches on to the small button that turn my wife into a complete mad woman.

I grab her bottom so that she has a little more support. My cock is so hard that when I do finally get inside her, I don’t think I’ll last long.

It doesn’t help either when she grabs my hair with both of her hands, pushing my mouth closer to her. I pull my mouth away from her and notice that the shirt she was wearing is long gone. Katniss’ nude body is before me and her breasts rise as she pants, her nipples hard.

She lifts her head in a daze. “Shit, you’re so good at that.”

“I don’t want you to come,” I order her. “I want to be fucking you when you do.”

“Then fuck me.”

I don’t need to be told twice.

Lowering her hips, I pull her bottom half closer to the edge so that her feet are planted flat on the floor. I walk in-between her legs, undoing the string of my pajama pants and lowering them. I quickly remove my shirt, tossing it to the ground. Katniss watches me the whole time and when our eyes meet again, she licks her lips in anticipation.

I place my hands in-between both sides of her body and lower myself over her. Her hands reach for my face so that she can bring her lips to mine. Katniss kisses me hungrily and I respond eagerly, my tongue dancing against hers.

“I can taste myself,” she says breathlessly and I grin before biting her lip playfully.

Our hips are against one another and I can feel myself against her thigh. Adjusting myself slightly, I find my tip at her entrance and plunge my cock into her without warning.

Katniss arches and I can feel her insides contract around me.

“Oh my God…” My voice is strangled and I reach under her so that I can support her back. Pulling out quickly, I thrust into her again.

She meets my thrusts, our hips gyrating harshly into one another. I can feel her frustration because it mirrors my own. Katniss wants relief but she doesn’t want to stop. It feels too damn good for it to end so soon.

Pushing herself up on her hands, Katniss presses her chest against mine. My feet catch the floor and while I’m still in her, I find leverage to push myself deeper into her wet insides.

She yelps and I pull back. “Did I hurt you?”

Katniss shakes her head. ”No, no!” She wraps her legs around me, pushing her heels into my back. “Keep going,” she insists, kissing my shoulder while one of her hands reaches down to play with my balls.

My mouth covers her nipple and she cries out before hastily covering her mouth. Prim might be out cold, but Katniss’ moan could wake the dead.

I lift my mouth off of her breast. “Shhh,” I scold her with a grin. “We don’t want to traumatize Prim.”

Katniss laughs softly. “Then you better make me come already,” she says as she grazes my lips with her own. I deepen the kiss. As we build momentum again, Katniss moans into my mouth.

My name becomes a chant on her lips and I feel the beginning of her orgasm. My hips begin to jerk rapidly as I feel her insides clench, squeezing my cock pleasurably.

“Peeta!” Katniss says in a strangled whisper. It is enough and I am falling. I thrust once…twice and I am done.

I lay my head against her chest and her hand finds my hair. Our bodies are sticky with sweat.

“Did I help?” I ask after a moment.

Her chest begins to quake and I realize that she is laughing. I grin up at her. She’s back to her old self again.

Pushing myself off her, I take both her hands and pull her up. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

I walk her over to her side and pull the sheets back so she can scoot in. I go over to my own side and slide between the sheets, which feel cool against my naked form. Katniss looks at me from her pillow.

“Get over here,” I tell her and she crawls over. I widen my legs so she can sit between them and she lays her back against my chest. I pull the sheets around us. Kissing her shoulder and then behind her earlobe, I put my lips against her ear. “Better?”

“Yes,” she replies simply and takes my hand where my wedding band rests on the ring finger. “Are you happy?”

“We just had sex and you’re naked,” I tell her. “What do you think?”

She turns to look at me. “No, seriously.” Katniss entwines our hands. “I want to know that no matter what happens next week, we’ll be okay.”

“Nothing is going to happen,” I assure her. “We started this together and whatever happens, it happens to both of us.”

“I think I might love you,” she tells me lightly and I wrap my arms around her. She lays her head on my bicep.

“Glad to know, I don’t usually marry girls that I’m not mad for,” I reply.

“Why me?” The question comes out of her mouth quietly as if she is afraid of the answer.

Pulling her closer to me, I kiss the side of her sweaty head. My beautiful, crazy wife. She pisses me off and then brings me to my knees in ecstasy.

I give the most reasonable answer to her question.

“Because I’m not me without you.”

++++++

_Two Days until the Interview_

“Hey, Peeta.”

I look up from the display case to see Rory. He stands before me, looking pitifully distraught. I can’t help but feel bad for the kid.

“Rory, how are you?” His eyes are downcast. Rory shuffles his feet awkwardly and his hand are deep in his pockets.

“I’m okay, I guess.” He gives me a small smile. “How are…people?”

“People are doing fine.” I look over to my house. “In fact, people are out right now if you want to sit down.”

Rory agrees, so I grab a stuffed croissant and put it on a plate, along with a can of iced tea from the mini fridge that’s under the counter. We both head over to the table next to the window and sit down. I hand him the can and the plate.

“So Prim is okay?” He looks down at the food in front of him.

“She has her good days and her bad days,” I tell him. “What’s going on with you?”

“Prim thinks that I was talking to Shelby,” he says. “I wasn’t. I guess I wanted to make her jealous.”

“Not your best move,” I tell him. “I can tell you from experience that making an Everdeen jealous is never a good idea.”

“You got that right,” he replies. “I’m sorry that you guys have been pulled into the drama.”

“We’ll be okay if you two are okay.”

Rory nods again and opens the can to take a sip. Setting it back down, he looks at me. “Do you think that I still have a chance with her? Honestly?”

“It’s going to be a lot of work on your end right now,” I inform him. While I like Rory, he hurt Prim and I highly doubt it will be easy if they ever work things out. “And even if you get back together, it’s going to be hard and she might not trust you right away. I might not trust you right away.”

“Understood.” He looks down at the croissant. “This looks delicious.”

“Are you trying to suck up?” I ask.

“Is it working?”

I laugh at his words. “Try it first, then you can complement my excellent baking skills.”

As he takes a bite, Rue comes out of the back room with a tray of cookies. She stops mid-stride to glare at Rory.

“Rory,” she greets him evenly.

“Rue,” he replies after he swallows the bite he has taken.

While they continue their staring war, I get up and take the tray from Rue.

“Go on your fifteen,” I tell her. “I’m sure Rory would like some company.”

Rue glares at me but does what I say. She sits at the table. Folding her hands, she watches Rory take another bite of the croissant.

He looks up. “You want half?” Rue shakes her head. “Come on. I know that you’re supposed to hate me as the best friend, but it’s just a croissant.”

Rue cracks a smile and I grab a knife. Putting it on the table for Rory, I watch him cut his half and give the plate to his friend.

“Go ahead, it’s not poisoned,” he tells her.

Rue scowls. “I know. I helped make them.”

Rory looks impressed. “Wow. That’s awesome and it tastes really good.” Finishing the last of the croissant, he looks at her. “I’m not the enemy, you know.”

She nods. “I know. You’re my friend, too, but Prim is my best friend and you really hurt her.”

“I agree that I did, but I don’t agree about getting the stink eye from you,” he says. He holds his hand out. “Deal?”

She shakes it and smiles. “Deal.”

That’s more like it. Rory is a good kid and I think that he could use some friends. As I watch them, I see Rue laugh at Rory’s impression of their biology teacher. My eyes focus over at my house where I see Prim standing outside, staring at the two before her eyes meet mine.

Crap. I’m in trouble.

“I’ll be back,” I tell them. Rue looks up just in time to see Prim disappearing into the house. She gives me a worried look. “I’ll talk to her.”

Walking out, I scramble across the street and through the door. Prim is waiting at the dining room table when I come in.

She jumps from her seat. “How could you, Peeta? You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Prim, you have to calm down,” I tell her. “He is not an enemy.”

“He might as well be!” Her voice is several octaves higher and her face is red. This isn’t my sister. This is some sort of demon banshee that’s taken over. “And why are you letting him talk to Rue! She is MY friend!”

“They are friends, too, okay?” She crosses her arms. “Prim, this is the one thing that needs to be clarified. You broke up with him. You can’t keep him from talking to me or Rue or anyone for that matter.”

Another mistake. You never argue with someone when they’re upset.

Prim huffs and her eyes are an angry, frosty blue. “Don’t talk to me EVER AGAIN! I wish Katniss never married you!”

I think my heart just ripped in two.

With that, she rushes upstairs and I can hear the door to her room being slammed. The sound vibrates through the house.

“What happened?” I turn to see Katniss entering through the front door.

“How much did you hear?” I ask wearily and she closes the door rushing over to me. Pulling me into her arms, she rests her head against my chest

“Enough to know that she just stomped all over you,” she replies. I tell her about speaking with Rory and how Prim had seen Rue talking to the “enemy” while I watched them.

“I just want to run up there and tell her that I’ll never talk to Rory again.” Her words sting and the hurt is growing inside me.

“No,” Katniss tells me. “She is being unreasonable. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I sigh. “I have to go back.” I give her a quick kiss. “She’s never said anything so mean to me…or anyone since I’ve known her.”

“Well you’ve known her since she was two days old and that’s a long time to know someone.” Katniss puts a hand on my cheek. “In my opinion, you two were long overdue for a fight.”

“Not funny,” I mutter.

She kisses me again and in turn, I deepen the kiss. Pressing her body against mine, I caress her back then move my hand so I can cup her firm butt.

Katniss pulls away and her face is red. “Now you should definitely go.”

I nod and go to the door. I can’t help but worry what will happen when I get home.

++++++

“So she’s still not talking to you?” Haymitch asks as we sit in the waiting room. I look across from us to where Prim sits with Katniss. She catches my eyes and then scowls.

Katniss looks at me and shrugs. Her face looks green as if she has just thrown up. Actually, I think she did a few minutes ago. Other than that, Katniss looks beautiful. She is wearing a fitted black dress with cap sleeves and her toned legs are accentuated by simple black heels.

“No,” I whisper back to him. “Right now, I’m public enemy number one.”

“She might change her mind after Snow,” he tells me. Effie sits beside him, quiet and stiff. “Effie hates coming here, too.” Today, she is in a simple grey pantsuit and her blonde hair is in a tight bun.

“Mr. Abernathy, Miss Trinket.” A woman stands at the doorway. “Mr. Snow will see you now.”

They stand quickly and walk quickly to the door. Haymitch salutes us before he walks through the door and the woman closes the door behind her.

I look over at Prim and Katniss again. “You look really nice, Prim.” She is wearing a pale blue skirt and cream button up top. Her hair is pulled back from her face while the rest hangs down.

“Thanks,” she says in a clipped tone.

“You still hate me?”

When she doesn’t answer, I try not to look hurt. Katniss, being her usual observant-self, notices and elbows her sister. I must look really pathetic because when Prim does look at me, the anger melts off her face and she rushes over to me.

“I’m sorry.” Prim hugs me. “I didn’t mean it. I’m happy you two got married because you really love each other. I just wish that I had something like you two have.”

“One day you will,” I tell her. “And maybe it will be with Rory and maybe it won’t. You just have to be patient.” I put an arm around her. “So are we good now?”

She nods. “Yes, we’re good now.”

“Okay, moving on, where do you want to go after this?” I ask her.

Katniss walks over and sits next to me. I put an arm around her waist.

Prim thinks for a moment and claps her hands excitedly. “Lovejoy’s!”

“What’s a Lovejoy’s?” I ask. They both remain tight-lipped.

The door opens several minutes later. Effie and Haymitch step out. They both look relieved, yet grim.

“You’re up,” Haymitch tells us. “He only wants to see the newlyweds. We’ll take Prim outside for a snack.”

“He doesn’t want to see her?” I ask, surprised. Wasn’t she the reason we were here? To make sure that she was being well taken care of?

“Effie and I presented our reports to Snow,” Haymitch explained. “We had interviews with her teachers, current report cards and a letter of praise from the coordinator at the school’s tutoring services.”

Effie proudly puts an arm around Prim. “Let’s go. I don’t know how long you two will be in there. Good luck.”

Snow’s assistant comes out. “Mr. Snow will see you now.”

We watch the three leave with Prim, telling them how I told her that we could go to Lovejoy’s. I hear a loud guffaw come out of Haymitch’s mouth as we walk into the office.

When we walk in, I look around the office. The walls are a dark cherry wood and there are ceiling to floor bookshelves behind the desk. Katniss takes hold of my wrist when she catches sight of a crystal vase with bright white roses.

White roses. The same color of roses that were at her Dad’s funeral. It’s not an ordinary feeling of dislike that she has for the flower. The color only heightens her nervousness.

I put my mouth close to her ear. “You’re alright, just keep telling yourself that.” Katniss nods.

I’m surprised that Snow is not in the room, but then I notice a door next to one of the bookshelves.

“Would you like water or tea?” his assistant asks and we both shake our heads. “Please have a seat. Mr. Snow will be out in a few minutes.”

We take the seats in front of his desk. Katniss sits stiffly and crosses her legs. Her legs look really smooth and the heels she wears makes them look longer. I am only slightly ashamed over the fact that I want to reach over to check if she’s wearing stockings.

The last time I did that however, she ended up straddling me on the chair in our room. I shift uncomfortably. I shouldn’t be thinking about that here.

The door opens and man with white hair and a white beard walks in. Both of us promptly shoot up from our seats.

He is small, but very imposing. I can tell right away by the way he walks towards of us. He is in charcoal suit and on his lapel is a single white rose. I just hope that Katniss can keep her cool.

He gives us a cool smile as his eyes slide from Katniss to me.

Snow holds out his hand. “Hello, I am Coriolanus Snow. It is a pleasure to finally meet you both.”

I eye his hand before taking it and giving it a firm shake. I won’t be intimated by him. Not when I know that Katniss, who is usually calm, is not doing so well.

“Peeta Mellark,” I reply and I put an arm around Katniss’ waist so I can pull her closely to me. “My wife, Katniss.”

Katniss shakes his hand and manages a weak grin.

“Please have a seat,” he tells us. We sit and he goes to his chair.

“Coriolanus, that’s an interesting name,” I remark when we are settled. “Sounds Roman.”

“It’s an old family name,” Snow says. “Your name is an interesting one also, Peeta. I’m not surprised, however. Your family made their money because of your bakery. You and your brothers are practically an advertisement for the Mellark Bakery.”

I try not to bristle at the tone in his voice. It is almost mocking as he discusses the cleverness of our parents giving us bread names. Then he focuses on Katniss, who is sitting with her hands on her lap.

“And you dear, Katniss is a very pretty name.” He gives her a tight-lipped smile. “Your sister’s name also. Both of your parents must have been part of the Haight-Ashbury crowd.” Snow says the last part with a sneer.

I can see her spine straighten as he tells her this. I now realize why Haymitch messed with her so much. He was preparing her for this. Knowing Katniss’ temperament, he knew that she would definitely lose it if pushed too much.

“No, sir,” she replies evenly and smiles, though it is tight as his. “My father had a love for plants and flowers.”

He nods, then turns to me again. “Haymitch tells me that you are taking over the bakery. That must be exciting.”

“It is, sir.” Snow sits back so he can listen. Crossing his legs, he clasps his hands on his lap. “I’m going to be expanding to the East Coast in a few months. We are negotiating with Zabar’s to distribute our new kosher line as well as our regular products.”

“You seem to be gaining quite a bit of popularity here also,” he says. “I hear that you two made quite a scene at the last convention dinner for the San Francisco Culinary Association. You seem to have a lot of supporters behind you.”

“Mr. Antonelli is good friends with my father. He loves to tease me since he’s known how long I’ve had feelings for Katniss.”

He looks over at Katniss. “And you, Mrs. Mellark.” His tone is mocking. “What are you doing since you’ve become the wife of one of San Francisco’s up and coming businessmen?”

“I’m majoring in Environmental Studies at San Francisco State,” she tells him and I give her a proud smile.

“Very interesting,” he remarks. “And what do you plan to do with that kind of degree?”

“I hope to work in plan management for private and public businesses. There are a lot of things that can be done to create a sustainable business while staying compliant with government regulations.”

“Well, you must come to my house and help me create a more sustainable home,” he replies. “I am an old man and not very hip to this new green trend.” Another backhanded comment. “Primrose seems to be doing very well, according to Haymitch and Effie. Her transcripts are quite remarkable and according to her interviews, her teachers say that she is a very sweet girl.”

“She is,” Katniss tells him with her first genuine smile during this meeting.

Snow looks between both of us. Leaning forward, he places his clasped hands on his desk.

“I’m going to be honest with both of you.” I glance over at Katniss nervously. “When I heard that you two got married, I was a bit surprised. It was also rather quick. Then I had to think about it more. Why would a couple decide to get married so fast? You’re obviously not pregnant, Mrs. Mellark, so it wasn’t to spare a child from being a bastard.”

“What are you implying?” I ask him.

He ignores my question.“ Your mother had a second mortgage on your house, didn’t she?” he asks, looking over at Katniss. “And you’re working as a receptionist at beauty salon, am I correct?”

Katniss doesn’t respond because everything he has said is true. Her face is ten shades paler and she now looks green. I reach for her hand and she looks over at me. While I am scared, I know that there are a million scenarios going on inside of her head.

I’m not going to let anything happen to her or Prim.

“How can someone afford to go to school on your salary?” he questions. “I’ll tell you how. When she’s come into some money. Money given to her from her very wealthy family.”

“Once again, what are you trying to say?” I ask him with a glare.

“I’m going to make an example out of you two. What kind of example is up to you,” he states. “Obviously you care for one another, but something tells me that your motives for marriage are more than just love. It’s about getting a leg up in cruel world. And if anyone needed a leg up, it was you, Mrs. Mellark. Losing your home, losing an education and possibly losing your sister, you needed help. Who better to help than your friend?”

“I love Peeta,” she tells him through clenched teeth. “I won’t have our marriage turned into something ugly.”

“No one said that,” he says lightly. “I think we can work something out.”

Standing up, Snow looks out of his window. When he turns back around, he grins down at both of us. “Did you know that I am planning to run for City Supervisor for District Two?”

“I had no idea,” I reply in a dry voice.

“Don’t your parents live in Seacliff?” he asks. “And your brother, Wheaton, didn’t he buy a house in Seacliff also? If I get City Supervisor, Seacliff will be within my borders. I could really use the support of the Mellark family, since they’ll be living in my district.”

“And how much support do you need from the Mellarks?”

He walks over and sits back against his desk right in front of us. “I don’t need money, Peeta.”

I’ve never hated the sound of my name so much.

“The Mellarks are a very known and loved family in San Francisco. Your support would give me that extra oomph in my campaign. It wouldn’t hurt if you and your wife attended one of my campaign fundraisers, either. Everyone loves newlyweds. You two were practically the talk of that convention dinner.”

“And what if we don’t want to help you?” Katniss counters as she stares up at him, her eyes hard.

He smiles at her. “Then I make an example of you. An example of what happens when you lie to an official. It will also give me the perfect opportunity to get rid of Haymitch. He’s given me enough reasons to let him go, including using his title to look for that girl, Maysilee.”

Reaching behind him, he hands Katniss an envelope.

She opens it gingerly and pulls out a cream colored paper. “An invitation?”

“To my next fundraiser,” he tells her. “At the Officers Club in the Presidio.” Snow gives us a smile. He knows that he’s winning. “I hope to see you there.”

Katniss simply stares at the invitation and then hands it to me wordlessly. I place it back in the envelope.

I don’t need to look at it. We have already accepted.

Snow looks at his watch. “I must get going,” he tells us. “I have to get to City Hall in twenty minutes.”

I get up from my seat and he shakes my hand. Katniss manages to push herself up and out of her seat. Snow turns to her, takes her hand and presses his lips to it.

He looks over at me. “Katniss is truly a beautiful bride. She’s really going to pull in the female vote for me.”

Snow doesn’t see her anymore, he sees nothing but ballots.

With that, he leaves the room through the same the door that he entered.

“I need to get out,” Katniss says and she is looking around as if she’s just realized she was in here.

I take her hand. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

I put an arm around her and we walk out of the room without bothering to close the door behind us. We are rushing pass Snow’s assistant at her desk and into an open elevator. The doors close and Katniss is searching through her purse.

“What are you looking for?” I ask as she rummages through the bag.

“I need something to wipe my hand,” she tells me. “I feel disgusting.” Pulling a tissue out, she wipes the area frantically.

“Calm down.” I pull her to me and she shudders. Katniss is more than unhinged.

The elevator doors open and we run out of the elevator towards the automatic doors. The entrance to the office building is in an empty alley so there is no one to see Katniss freaking out.

“What did we agree to?” she asks, her eyes darting around. “Peeta, what did we do? He has us. He has us by the balls. Well, my imaginary balls. But he has us!”

I place my hands on both sides of her head. “Katniss, you have to calm down. We are going to do this.”

“How?” Katniss begins to cry and that’s when I begin to worry. “We just gave him permission to run our lives, run our marriage.”

“No,” I state. “I won’t let that happen. I won’t turn our marriage into something horrible because it’s not. Marrying you is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

Kissing her forehead, I continue to trail kisses all over her wet face until she is pulling her lips to mine, kissing me desperately.

She needs this, she needs me.

Pulling away, I take her hand and lead her from the front of the building. Turning the corner, we find ourselves in an alleyway of two buildings. No windows or doors, just brick wall and us.

Katniss pulls me to her again and her lips are on mine before I can even speak. She leads me walking backwards until her back is against one of the brick wall. Her tongue is in my mouth as we kiss and I suck it roughly.

She wraps a leg around my waist and one of my hands pushes her skirt up until it is bunched to her waist. I realize that she is not wearing any stockings. There is nothing stopping me from taking her right against this wall, except for the small piece of cloth that she actually calls underwear.

Grinding herself against my erection, Katniss doesn’t waste any time. She unzips my pants and pulls my cock out of the front opening of my briefs. While she does this, my index finger finds the soaked fabric that covers her slit. I yank it aside before moving forward and thrusting myself into her.

She is so tight and I pull away only slightly before driving into her again. Damn, she is so wet.

Soon, we are fucking like there is no tomorrow. This isn’t about pleasure, although it is very pleasurable. This is about relief. The kind of relief that only a mind blowing orgasm can provide.

Katniss is clinging to me, her hands gripping the back of my suit jacket. Our hips are pumping against one another at a frenzied pace. She places kisses all over my face and then works her mouth over to my neck where she nips against my skin.

I growl and suddenly drive myself into her so quickly that she is lifted off the ground from the sheer force of it.

“Oh God!” Katniss shouts and a low moan escapes out of her mouth. I can feel the sudden tightness around me, followed by one more very strong squeeze on my cock.

I cry out and close my eyes, seeing stars as I thrust over and over, emptying myself into her pliant body. I open my eyes and press my forehead against hers. Her bangs are matted to her forehead and her cheeks definitely have color now.

I lower her back down on her feet and kiss the corner of her mouth. “I love you.”

She looks up at me and gives me a soft smile. “I love you too,” she replies breathlessly. Pulling down her skirt, she tries to smooth out the wrinkles.

I tuck myself back into my pants and undo my tie so I can get some air. When we finally look presentable, I take her hand again and lead her out of the alley. I kiss the spot where that Snow put his lips.

“No other person should kiss you but me,” I tell her as we walk out.

“Especially him.”

“Listen,” I say as she turns to face me. “We are going to play his game and while we do, I’m going to find us a way out of this. We are not going to let him win.”

“I know,” Katniss says. “I dread that event, though.”

“We’ll talk to Haymitch.” Turning the corner, we see Prim waiting with Haymitch and Effie. I give her a bright smile and look over, seeing Katniss sport a similar grin. We won’t tell Prim, she already has enough going on. “Hey guys!”

“Where were you?” Prim asks. “I was getting worried.”

“Sorry, Prim,” Katniss replies as she puts an arm the younger girl. “When we got out, we couldn’t find you guys, so we went for a walk.” I look down and when I look back up, I see Haymitch grinning at me.

“You could’ve called my cell phone,” Effie tells us. “Poor Prim thought that you left her.”

“You thought we went to Lovejoy’s without you?” I say to her with a teasing smile. “Now why would we do that? I don’t even know what this place is.”

Prim laughs and then goes to Effie so they can talk about our late lunch date. Katniss nods and gives me a smile before catching up with them.

That leaves me and Haymitch. He looks me up and down and then pulls down my collar. Afterwards, he turns and begins to walk. I follow and we stroll together in calm silence.

“Nice hickey,” he says suddenly. “Be sure to keep Prim from seeing that. She’s already told us about all the noise you were making the night she got sick.”

“Oh boy.” I put my hands into my pockets. “I’ll be sure to tell Katniss that. I’m sure she‘ll be thrilled. By the way, do you know what Lovejoy’s is?”

He nods and grins but doesn’t say anything as we walk to my car.

++++++

“So what do I do?”

I stare at the tiered tray in front of me. Little sandwiches circle the bottom tier. The middle one holds some greens and cole slaw, while the top tier holds sugar cookies and some scones. Jam and buttercream are in little containers next to the pastries.

“You eat the sandwiches, you drink the tea,” Katniss replies with a smile. “It’s not brain science, just tea time.”

I’m in a fucking tea room.

British memorabilia and Victorian portraits cover the walls. There are flowers and those little hats similar to what Katniss wore during our wedding ceremony. I look down at my table where mismatched china is placed on it. Two teapots holding different kinds of tea are placed close to Prim, who is munching happily on a sandwich.

“How did I end up here?”

Katniss turns my cup over and takes the strainer to put it over the rim of my cup. Taking one of the teapots, she pours a dark red tea into my cup.

“I think it was your overwhelming need to not have Prim angry at you that led to this,” she says to me as she scoops a teaspoon of sugar into my cup. “You have such a people pleasing habit.”

Katniss seems to be in a more relaxed mood, which is the one good thing about being here. Prim also seems happy which has also been a rarity.

Prim looks over at me as I take a sip. It’s pretty good.

“Isn’t this cool? I’ve always wanted to come here,” she says to me, then grins at Katniss. “You can have your baby shower here one day!”

I almost choke on my tea.

“Slow down, little duck,” Katniss says. “Peeta is just reconciling himself to being stuck with two girls in a tea shop where he’s outnumbered.”

“Hey! I can do this.” I grab a scone and take a bite out of it. “Holy shit! This is delicious.”

The server, a woman with cropped grey hair and glasses, comes over with a smile. “Glad you like them, dear. We make them fresh.”

“You need to give me this recipe,” I tell her. “Or at least let me see how these are made.”

“You should at least finish your cup,” she says to me.

I quickly drink the fruity floral liquid and stand up so she can lead me to the kitchen.

Thirty minutes, I emerge from the kitchen with a flowery notebook in my hands. It holds all my notes for scone making, as well as petit fours. Katniss and Prim both smile when I approach them.

“You look happy,” Katniss remarks as I cling to the notebook. I’m already imagining the things that I can mix into the scones.

“I am,” I reply. “How was tea time?”

“It was awesome. You should DEFINITELY have your baby shower here.” Prim says, looking at both Katniss and I but eyes seem to focus on me. She seems to think that I can magically convince Katniss to give her a niece or nephew.

“Oh, I didn’t know that I had grown a uterus.” I look over at Katniss and her eyes are laughing. “Did you?”

“I had no idea, but I promise to hold your hand during labor,” she mockingly assures me.

“Very funny,” Prim says. “Can I have my birthday here, at least?”

I nod and she squeals loudly. Katniss is right - I do spoil her rotten.

I pour myself another cup of the fruity tea. I also need to bring some of this to Mom. Sitting back, I take a sip.

“This place isn’t bad,” I tell them and take another sip.

Knock, knock.

I turn to see Rye and Marvel waving at us. Rye is holding a basketball as he grins, while Marvel tries not to laugh at seeing me in a frilly tea shop.

Rye takes his phone out of his pocket and types.

A beep sounds on my phone and I take it out of my pocket. _‘Nice cup. Does it come with a matching tea cozy?’_

I text back. ‘How do you know what a tea cozy is? Not very masculine of you.’

He replies quickly. _‘Says the man holding the flowered teacup. And I’m very masculine, ask Marvel.’_

 _‘Bite me’_ is my response.

He messages back. _‘Remember, pinkie down!’_

I make sure that my pinkie is down and place the cup back on the table. Then looking up at him, I hold another finger up for him to see.

It was my first and last time at Lovejoy’s.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You don’t understand the crazy love I have for tea. Anyway, Lovejoy’s is my favorite tea room which is in-between Mission Dolores and Noe Valley. There are two other tea rooms in the city but I’m not super crazy about them.

The first time I ever took my husband to Lovejoy’s, he was very confused. Poor guy, I make him do the girliest things sometimes. He actually asked me what to do. Like Katniss, I made his first cup.

He ended up buying a canister of tea.

The other place mentioned in this chapter is a Korean restaurant. It is based on a place called Toyose which is in Outer Sunset. The restaurant is built inside a garage and is known for their flavored soju. Soju is an alcoholic beverage similar to vodka and it is native to Korea. Bulgolgi is beef that is usually served on a hot plate.

I imagine that Effie looks like Elizabeth Banks except less makeup. Just look up the movie Definitely, Maybe and imagine that she looks like that.

Walgreens, if you didn’t know, is a drugstore. I guess it’s like Duane Reade in the East Coast. Also, Zabars is the gourmet grocery in New York.

San Francisco is divided into eleven districts. District Two is made up of Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Seacliff, Lake District, Presidio Heights, Jordan Park, Laurel Heights, Presidio, and part of Russian Hill. These neighborhoods are more in the affluent area of the city thus the reason I picked it for Snow.

I hope that no one thought that Snow would be a good guy.

And yes, the Mellarks love to flip the bird.

Please message me on Tumblr or send feedback to JLaLaFics@yahoo.com.

Next: The first of Katniss and Peeta’s appearances for Snow.

-JLaLa


	16. Part Three: Katniss

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed or left me messages, and my lovely beta, Chelzie.

Like the fire and the ice  
Like the virtue and the vice  
Like the verdict and the plea  
There's you and then there's me

There's you and me  
My love, what are you thinking of…

-Matthew Barber (You and Me)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Three, Chapter Fifteen: Katniss

The sound of a guitar wakes me and I lift my head from Peeta’s bare chest. It has been so hot this week and we are never prepared when San Francisco has a heat wave. We are used to sleeping in pajama pants or long t-shirts with sweats.

Due to the heat, Peeta sleeps shirtless. I don’t mind, not one bit.

I lay my head back on his chest and listen to the song which has now shifted into a catchy hip-hop beat. I place the tips of my index and middle fingers on his abdomen and walk them up to his chest. Peeta groans and opens one eye.

Smiling up at him, I walk my fingers around one of his pecs. “Morning.”

He opens his other eye and kisses the top of my sweaty head. “Morning,” he replies, his voice still heavy with sleep. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” I say to him. “The music from your alarm woke me up.”

I continue to walk my fingers up and down his upper body. When the chorus starts again, I sing along.

_“I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us  
Someday I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us…”_

He listens contently until he notices my expression. “You’re worried about tonight,” he states.

Tonight is the campaign fundraiser that we have been invited to by Snow.

“Wouldn’t you be?” I ask him. “We don’t exactly support him. Do you want someone like him being the representative for this city?”

“I didn’t know that you were so political,” he replies.

I sit up. “I am when I know that the person that’s running is a corrupt asshole!” I look around, almost afraid that he can hear despite being across town.

“Calm down,” Peeta says and sits up. He leans back against our headboard and holds his hand out to me. When I take it, he gently pulls me so that I am half lying on him, my head resting back on his chest. “You have to be strong enough. Just like the song says, right?” I nod and press my lips to the spot where I can feel his heart beating. “I’ll find us a way out of this.”

While the pessimist in me whispers different scenarios, Peeta’s calming nature is the only thing that seems to silence it.

We’re interrupted by a knock at the door. “Katniss? Peeta? You naked in there?” It’s Prim and she is feeling especially feisty. “There’s a boy downstairs who says he knows Katniss. He is also really cute.”

Our eyes meet. “A boy?” Peeta repeats and I roll my eyes.

“We will be right out, Prim,” I say to the door. “And no, we’re not naked.”

“Sure, you aren’t.” I hear her respond, followed by the sound of her feet as she walks away.

“Where did she get that mouth?” I ask Peeta as I go the corner chair and grab the jeans I threw onto it last night.

“I don’t know,” Peeta says. “Maybe from her very sarcastic sister?” He grins at me teasingly.

I throw some sweats in his face. “Put some pants on before Prim comes back and sees more of her brother than she should.”

++++++

Once I’m dressed, I walk down the stairs and spot a tall blond figure sitting with his back to me. A box sits on our coffee table and I can see that it is from Neiman Marcus. Prim is sitting across from him and I can see the blush on her face.

Looking up, she spots me standing behind him. When he turns, I almost run back up the stairs.

“Hello, Katniss,” Cato greets me with an easy smile. “Thanks for calling me back.”

“Cato!” I walk over to him. “It’s really nice to see you again. You’re bringing me a dress?”

“I’m Mr. Snow’s intern, which includes doing menial tasks like this. He also found out that I knew you.”

“He got me a dress,” I say as a feeling of dread moves over me. “How nice of him.” Going to the box, I take the card from the top.

Opening it, I look at the message: ‘Wear your hair up.’

I cringe. If Peeta was here with me, he would know why. I am being groomed to be the dutiful Mrs. Mellark. I have to pull in that female vote after all. Peeta, on the other hand, has things working in his favor simply because he already knows many of the local businessmen.

Obviously, the odds are not in mine.

Lifting the lid, I peel back the wrapping paper to find a beautiful gold metallic dress. I can also tell that it is off the shoulders and has long sleeves. The lace pattern is where the majority of the metallic thread is found. I realize that this looks like a wedding dress. I am meant to look innocent, angelic even.

“It’s beautiful.” I manage to say, though my voice is tight.

“I will see you there then?” Cato asks and a hopeful tone lingers in his voice.

The sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs interrupt him and Peeta walks into the room.

“Morning all,” he greets cheerily. Spotting Cato, he holds out his hand. “I’m Peeta Mellark, Katniss’ husband. Nice to meet you.”

I bite back a groan. Now he decides to be possessive? Something inside tells me that Snow almost planned this.

“Awkward…” Prim says from somewhere behind me.

“Congratulations,” Cato says to both of us, though he sounds less than thrilled. He looks at Peeta again. “I remember you. You were with that drunk girl!”

“Huh?” My husband looks confused as Cato explains further.

Cato turns to me. “During our date, he was the one with barfing girl.”

“Foxface.” Peeta has finally caught up and then snaps his fingers. “You’re TWO!”

“Two?” Cato raises his eyebrows.

“Never mind,” Peeta says and winks at me. “Would you like to stay for breakfast?”

“I actually have to get going,” he says, shaking Peeta’s hand. Then he meets my eyes. “I’ll see you later, Katniss. Enjoy the dress.”

Prim opens the door for him and he winks at her before walking out. When she turns back to us, her face is scarlet.

“I didn’t get to look when you did go out with him, but he is SO cute,” she tells me.

“Prim, you need to focus on other things besides boys,” I tell her. “You just got out of a relationship.”

“Exactly,” Peeta adds as he takes my hand. “You’re only fifteen and he is at least twenty.”

“You’re right.” Prim plops back on the couch and turns on the television. Changing the channel to a music video countdown, she looks back at us again with a grin. “But I won’t be fifteen forever!”

++++++

“Holy moly,” Cinna says as he takes a look at the dress. “That is worth some skrill.”

“Skrill?” I look over at him, confused.

“Money,” he replies as he pulls it out of the box. “Gold metallic lace, and by David Meister! He spent skrill on you.”

“He spent money because he wants me to be a proper looking little wife for Peeta,” I reply scornfully. “Oh, and he wants me to wear my hair up, too.”

Cinna hangs the dress up against a window and I turn to get a really look at it. It is lovely with an A-line skirt and the delicate thread work, but my throat constricts just looking at it. I might as well be wearing a straitjacket.

He puts an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, doll. You’re going to be fine.” Cinna turns and looks at me. “I’m always rooting for you.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling up at him.

The curtain opens and Madge walks in. “I’m going to lunch. Can you take over at the desk, Katniss?” I nod and then her eyes widen at my dress hanging against the back window. “What a gorgeous dress! Can I do your make-up?”

“Sure, why not?” Madge is an aspiring make-up artist. She worked at Benefit Cosmetics before taking this job in order to afford cosmetology school. Usually, I have Portia do my make-up since she doesn’t put a lot on me, but something tells me I’m going to want a little more drama tonight.

“I already have your look,” she replies. “I’m seeing Veronica Lake.”

“Veronica Lake?” Cinna says to himself. “Madge, walk with me, talk with me.”

“I’m just going to go out front,” I tell them.

Neither of them are paying attention to me anymore. Instead, they have their backs to me looking at my dress. I hear the words “waves” and something to do with red.

Oh no. What am I getting myself into?

++++++

“I hear that I’m going to be seeing you in a few hours, Katniss.” I look up from the desk to see Councilman Seneca Crane staring at me. “You’re going to be at Snow’s fundraiser, right?”

I nod. “Yes, I’ll be there with my husband.” I give him a frosty smile. “Would you like me to schedule your next appointment, Mr. Crane?”

“No, I’ll have my assistant call,” he tells me. “I look forward to seeing you there. When I heard that the Mellarks were behind him, I just knew that I was putting my support towards the right candidate.”

Dear God, he was right. Peeta’s family really does have that much clout.

I nod simply. “I hope you have an enjoyable night.”

“I will,” he tells me. “I’ll see you soon, Katniss.” I give him a smile in return.

Once he walks out the door, the smile drops. “Yuck!”

Portia walks over to me. “You’re going to see that fool later?”

“Unfortunately.” I get up and walk to the door so I can lock it. Pulling down the blinds, I go to the register and begin counting the drawer. Portia watches me worriedly the entire time. I look over at her. “I really don’t want to go.” I’m surprised to feel tears filling my eyes. “This man is evil. He knows all about Prim’s case.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Portia says, hugging me. Everyone in the salon knows that CPS came to the house, but they don’t know why Peeta and I got married. “You have to hold your head up high. Don’t let them see your fear.” She lifts my chin. “You are Katniss Mellark, and you don’t let anyone give you shit.”

“Tonight, she’s not Katniss,” Cinna says, coming from the back. “Let’s get your hair washed and I can get started.” He pulls me into his arms. “Tonight, you’re going to be my very own Veronica Lake.”

Cinna leads me over to the sinks where he shampoos and conditions my hair. Once he’s done, he has Portia take over drying my hair. When it’s finally dry, Portia rubs a serum into it.

“This is so I don’t destroy your beautiful hair,” she tells me. Portia makes as a deep part and taking a large barreled curling iron, she begins to make corkscrew curls. “I know you look like a deranged Shirley Temple now, but it’s going to look great.”

Madge comes out of the back room with her makeup belt around her waist. She has so many brushes that I almost want to stop her from laying a finger on me. She quickly notices the panic on my face.

“Don’t worry,” she assures me. “You’re going to look classic!” With Portia’s help, she clips the hair away from my face. Madge begins to work on my skin, prepping it first with primer. I choose to close my eyes as the two primp and curl.

“Maybe it’s best that your eyes stay closed,” Portia says when she sees what I’m doing. “Cinna! Put some Total on!”

“Total?” I ask her with a smile. “How old are you?”

“For your information, they were an awesome group in the 90’s,” she tells me as she brushes out my hair on one side. “Do you want me to put some Destiny’s Child on, young buck?”

“No, I’m fine.” I decide to settle back and listen to the guitar intro.

_Don't matter who knows  
I don't care who sees  
Me thinking about you  
Makes my life complete  
And what I mean by that  
That my whole world changes  
You make me feel things  
That I've never felt  
I wanna kiss you…_

“I used to make out to this song all the time,” Portia says and I can tell that she’s grinning by the sound of her voice.

“It was always Marvin Gaye songs for me,” Madge replies as I feel a poufy brush against my face. “How about you, Katniss? What song do you and Peeta make out to?”

“Take My Breath Away,“ I answer without even thinking about it. I clasp my hand over my mouth.

“How cute!” Madge squeals. “So romantic.”

Portia chuckles. “Don’t embarrass her or you’re going to have to powder her face even more. She’s already turning red.”

“I didn’t take you for a Berlin fan,” Cinna says from the backroom.

“Peeta is going to kill me,” I mutter to myself. “I’m not really a Berlin fan.”

“You just make out to them,” Madge replies teasingly. “We get it.”

I shut my mouth and let Madge work on me. She is lining my eyes carefully as Portia combs out the other side of my hair. Next, she lines my lips, filling them in with a pencil. Finally, I feel her run a brush across my lips.

“The lips! I’m jealous.” Madge sighs. “Do you know how much women would pay for these lips?”

“I don’t even want to know.”

“I’m all done,” she says. “Just need to put some mascara on you.”

“I’m done, too!” Portia proclaims and I hear her shaking something in an aerosol. I feel the mist of hairspray. “Now I’m turning the chair around. You can’t see yourself until later.”

I open my eyes and see the two gaping at me.

“Holy frijoles,” Madge says to Portia. “We did it!” The two give each other a high five.

“Come on, lady,” Portia says as I stand up. “Let’s get your dress on.”

In the back room, Cinna is fussing with my dress. I remove my clothes and he hands me my undergarments.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been nude in front of them, so they quickly help me into my underwear. Cinna hooks my stocking onto my right leg while I do the other. Madge helps me into my strapless bra and panties.

When we are done, Cinna and Portia bring in my dress so I can slip into it. It fits perfectly. The sleeves are actually three-quarter length; the dress tightens over my upper waist before falling into a graceful A-line skirt. The bandeau neckline makes my neck look longer than normal, according to the three. Madge helps me into my heels as Cinna zips me up.

“Can I look now?” I ask.

“Turn around,” Cinna says and I turn to the mirror in front of me. I look completely different. My hair is in loose S-shaped waves and the deep part in my hair causes it to slightly cover one part of my face. Madge has created a cat eye by pulling the line up on my eyes with the liner. My lips are red and full.

The dress fits me like a glove. I run my hands down the front of my dress. I think Snow was expecting an angel. Instead, he will be getting a siren.

“Take a step forward,” Cinna says.

When I do, I see that Cinna has created a slit on one side of the skirt. It reaches mid-thigh.

“Peeta is going to love this,” I tell them. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the window. “My husband is right on time!”

“I’ll get it!” Madge exclaims, running to the front. Portia follows, winking at me before she leaves.

Cinna walks in front of me. “Back straight and chin up. Remember: think Veronica Lake. You’re confident, you’re sexy. You’re a bitch.”

“Well, I am a bitch.”

My friend grins at my pronouncement. “There you go. Now, let’s go show your husband.”

Cinna walks out and with one last look in the mirror, I walk outside.

Peeta is chatting with Madge so he has his back to me. Madge meets my eyes and grins. Peeta turns and his eyes widen as he drinks me in.

Walking over, he looks me up and down one more time and grins. “I married Jessica Rabbit.”

I laugh. “Hardly, but thank you.”

When I take a step and Peeta sees the slit, his cheeks turn dark red. He looks up at me.

“Why do we have to go to this?” he asks me, his eyes focused on the slit.

“Because Snow sucks,” I declare. “We’re going to be late. Let’s go.” I take his hand and lead him to the door.

“Have fun!” Madge says as we walk out.

As we are leaving, I hear them cheering.

“Cinna must have brought out the wine,” I tell him as we head over to the car. Peeta chuckles as we walk.

I stop in my tracks when I hear the song that is blaring out of the salon.

In fact, we both stop and my husband turns to look at me.

“You told them?” he asks incredulously.

“Sorry.”

Cinna’s out of tune voice is heard over the music and I smack my hand to my forehead. Madge and Portia join in, their voices just as bad.

_“Take my breath away…”_

++++++

I feel Peeta’s hand move up my thigh as we drive down Market Street.

“What are you doing?” I ask him with a frown. We still have a bit of a drive since we are crossing the city, but I feel myself tensing up. I hate all of this bullshit.

He moves his hand off me.

“I was just checking whether you were wearing tights,” he replies with a grin. We are at a stoplight near Castro Street. “Seriously though, I can tell that you’re stressing out.”

“How?”

“Just your body language,” he replies. “I know this isn’t easy. It’s not easy for me either.” I can hear the irritation in his voice.

I look over at Peeta. His jaw is tight and I immediately feel bad for acting like such a bitch.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” I tell him.

Peeta nods, but keeps his eyes on the road. He is still upset. As we head towards the downtown area, I scoot over a little so I can put my head on his shoulder. I feel him relax slightly. Putting my hand on his thigh, I run my hand over his pant leg.

“What are you doing?” he asks quietly, his eyes remain on the road

“Checking to see if you’re wearing tights.”

He finally laughs. Reaching over, I kiss the side of his jaw and a hiss escapes his mouth.

“Now what are you doing?”

“Helping you relax,” I respond. My hand reaches over to unbuckle his belt. After undoing the button on his pants, I slip my hand inside through the opening in his briefs. Finding his hard length, I run my hand down it. He moans and I see that he is gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Keep your eyes on the road, dear. Safety first!”

“You’re giving me a handjob in our car,” he replies and lets out a breath. “I think we’re past car safety. Oh God…” His eyes roll back as I tighten my grip at the tip of his cock, just enough for him to let out another moan. “This isn’t safe.”

We are almost at the end of the Financial District and I can see the Ferry Building in front of us.

“Make a right,” I whisper into his ear and bite it lightly.

Peeta veers so he can make a hard right onto Embarcadero. We pass the large building that houses the GAP Headquarters. When we drive under the Bay Bridge, I instruct him to make a left into an empty lot. On some weekends, this lot is crowded with low-riders. This isn’t a nice night for cruising, so the lot is deserted.

Once we are parked, I unzip his pants slowly, revealing his hard cock. I unconsciously lick my lips.

“Thank goodness Madge gave some lipstick so I can touch myself up.”

Peeta gives me a serious look. “You don’t have to do this,” he says suddenly. “I didn’t touch you because I wanted to fool around. I just wanted you to relax.”

“Peeta, you know I love you, right?” He nods. “I wouldn’t be doing this unless I wanted to. I just thought of how you helped me relax before and after Snow’s interview…” I suddenly feel embarrassed by my brashness.

“Katniss, I want you,” he tells me as he lifts my chin. “But you deserve to be made love to, especially with the way you look right now. It shouldn’t be like this. Not in an empty lot.”

I nod, slightly embarrassed. “Especially that one that the city is going to turn into Warriors Arena.”

Peeta fixes himself back up and starts the engine. He kisses my forehead, then lightly touches his lips to mine so he doesn’t get any lipstick on them. He presses his forehead against mine.

“We are going to finish this tonight,” he promises.

I nod. We get back onto Embarcadero and he turns the radio up. Upon hearing a familiar tune, he puts an arm around me as he sings softly.

_You're a genie in disguise  
Full of wonder and surprise, and  
Betcha by golly, wow  
You're the one that I've been waiting for, forever  
And ever will my love for you keep growing strong  
Keep growing strong…_

“So besides baking, you also sing?” I ask with a grin as I scoot closer to him.

“I’m sorry that we all can’t have voices like yours, Mrs.Mellark,” he responds. “I work with what I have.”

“It doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Coming from you, that means a lot,” Peeta says.

We remain silent for the rest of our trip. I look out the windows as we pass each pier, including the one that had caught fire a month ago. We continue on until we are close to Pier 39 and Peeta makes a left onto a side street. In Russian Hill, Peeta points out Snow’s house on Lombard. It has huge windows and I can imagine him standing there, looking out onto the street like a little dictator.

I shiver and press my body closer to his.

“We’re almost there.” He has just turned into the entrance of the Presidio. The old army base has all the original housing, though the interiors have been restored. We pass by the brick buildings that make up the LucasArts Campus and follow the road until we hit the front of the Officer’s Club entrance.

A parking attendant opens my door for me and I get out carefully. Peeta walks around the car so I can take his arm.

“You look beautiful,” he tells me as we enter.

The club is an original building from when Spain had their army here. I look to my left and see the small sitting room that still has some of the original wall. Men sit inside with cigars and drinks in their hands. The ballroom is to my right and has the most gorgeous chandelier. I grimace when I see that the centerpieces are white roses.

“Name please,” a woman who stands next to the entrance says. She is holding a clipboard with a list.

“Mellark,” Peeta tells her.

She looks at her list and then back at us. “You will be sitting at the table with Mr. Snow himself. Table One, which is right next to the fireplace.”

I tighten my hold on Peeta’s arm. “Now we’re stuck with him for the rest of the night,” I say as we walk away from her.

When we get to the large round table, I am surprised to see both Haymitch and Effie at the table. They look very uncomfortable as they sip their drinks. No one else is at the table, so I can only assume that Snow is making the rounds, greeting his guests.

“Oh, thank God,” Effie says when she sees us. She stands up so she I can sit next to her and I admire the one-shoulder black dress she is wearing. I never noticed how tiny she is, which is emphasized by the heavy skirt of her dress. Her hair is swept back and twisted in a chignon. “We were all alone at this table and it is so awkward, especially with Snow saying what he said to you.”

“How did you know?” I ask and look over at Haymitch, in his three-piece suit. He won’t meet my eyes as he talks quietly to Peeta.

“Haymitch,” she answers simply. “Don’t be cross with him. I suspected there was something going on a few days ago when we had our last meeting.”

“It’s okay.” I give her a smile. “It’s nice that he trusts you.”

She nods, blushing as she does.

“The lovely Mrs. Mellark!” a voice booms. I cringe before turning around.

As I stand up, I see Snow, along with Cato and Seneca Crane. Snow walks over to me with his arms extended and takes my hands.

“You look rather lovely tonight,” he says to me. “I hear that you already know my assistant, Cato, as well as Mr. Crane.”

I nod and give them both a congenial smile. “Mr. Crane. Cato.” Peeta walks over to me and wraps an arm around my waist. I look over at Seneca. “Peeta, this is Councilman Seneca Crane.” He shakes hands with the man. “And you already know Cato.”

“Nice to see you both,” he says to them. “Why don’t we all have a seat?”

Peeta sits me down between himself and Haymitch. Snow sits across from me as the fireplace roars behind him. Cato sits to his left, while Crane sits next to Effie. He has found a new target.

I almost feel sorry for Haymitch. He can’t do anything while Crane talks to Effie and tells her how pretty her dress is. Effie takes the compliment shyly and I can tell that she wants to move herself closer to her Haymitch.

“Katniss? Peeta?”

I turn to see Glimmer, Clove’s best friend, and former “it” girl at our school. She is in a white, skintight strapless gown. She was pretty when we were in school, but now she is a bombshell.

She walks over to me with a pearly white smile. “You look beautiful!” Surprisingly, she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight.

She goes to Peeta next and gives him a smaller, gentler smile. “Peeta.” She hugs him gently and I can see her perky breasts press against his chest.

When she pulls away, I can see Peeta blushing and his eyes meet my glare.

“Somebody’s in trouble…” I hear Haymitch sing quietly.

“Glimmer, have a seat,” Snow says and she takes a seat next to Peeta.

Oh yea.

“Glimmer’s father is the Head Executive at the San Francisco Travel Association,” he informs us. “She is well on her way to following in his footsteps, and works in their marketing department.” Snow meets my eyes. “Mrs. Mellark, why don’t you lead the first dance with me?” He looks over at Glimmer. “My dear girl, Peeta is going to New York in a few months. Why don’t you tell him about your recent trip?”

I stand up and feel Peeta’s hand steady me. Once I’m fully on my feet, I look to see his eyes on me worriedly. I lean down and kiss him, not on his lips, but close to it. Pulling away, I see that my lips have made an imprint on him. He is marked and he is mine.

I wipe it off with my thumb. “I’ll be back.” Looking over at Glimmer, I see her staring at me.

Snow is waiting and when I turn to him, he holds out his hand. I take it and we make our way to the middle of the dance floor. The giant chandelier is above us and the band set up by the windows starts playing a waltz. Snow puts a hand to my waist and I feel his fingers press harshly into my skin.

“You don’t know how to listen,” he says as he takes my hand. We begin to move slowly. “I wanted you to look elegant, not like some pin-up girl.”

“It didn’t look right with my hair up,” I reason. “You want me to look like a proper wife, right? Who wouldn’t want their wife to look like me? Cinna has made me desirable.” I am doing what Cinna says. I am confident and I’m a bitch. This is the only way that I won’t fall apart. I need to manipulate Snow to get the desired effect. “Men love things they can’t have and their wives will do anything to be what they want, right?”

He is silent for a moment. “You’re right, Mrs. Mellark,” he suddenly admits. “I’ve underestimated you.”

“People often do,” I tell him.

“Don’t cross me again,” he instructs. Snow moves his mouth over to my ear. “Your husband and Glimmer look quite cozy. “ I look to where the two are chatting amiably at the table. “She is much better suited for him, don’t you think?”

“He’s married to me, however,” I reply and then he pulls away. His smile is tight.

“For now.”

He leads me over to our table and my feet feel like lead. I give everyone a smile.

“Excuse me, I just need to freshen up.” Before anyone can see anything, I turn and walk out of the room. Behind me, I hear Snow ask Peeta if I’ll be “expecting” anything to be happening in the next few months.

Besides being newlyweds, everyone loves a pregnant woman. My new expectations have been set.

I continue walking out and make a sharp right into a hallway. All the doors look alike. I feel trapped.

Cato suddenly steps out of a door. He sees me and smiles. “You okay?”

“Do you know where the ladies room is?” I ask.

Cato nods, peering at me. “It’s the door across from men’s room.” He points to the door. “You really look upset. Do you want to talk?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t need help from Snow’s crony,” I tell him with a glare.

“Hold up there,” Cato says. “I’m not the enemy. Things are never what they seem, Katniss. Ask Glimmer.”

I look up at him. “What?”

Suddenly, he looks around and shakes his head. “I’ve said enough. Freshen up and I’ll see you at the table.”

I nod and walk inside the women’s restroom. It’s empty, so I take a paper towel and wet it. I place the towel on the back of my neck and feel my body cool down.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me. The red lips, the waves and the vamp eye makeup, that’s not me. I feel a sudden urge to wipe my makeup off.

“Don’t.” I turn and find Glimmer standing at the door. I didn’t even notice her come in. She walks over, grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter. “Let me help,” she says, wetting the tip of the tissue and wiping my under eye area. “There’s only a slight smearing.” When she’s done, she grins at me. “There, you’re all nice and neat again.”

“Thanks.” I look up at her. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I know how it feels,” she says simply. “To not feel confident. To see the person you love with someone else.” Her eyes are sad. I think of when we were in school. She always seemed to stick so close to Clove. I never realized that it was because she was looking at Peeta.

“I love Peeta,” I tell her and she nods understandingly.

“I know.” Glimmer takes a deep breath and then smiles at me. “I just wanted to check on you. Cato mentioned that you weren’t feeling well when I passed him.”

“Thanks.” With a final smile, she walks out the door.

I feel even more confused by this turn of events. Giving myself an onceover, I leave the safety of the restroom.

Walking back into the ballroom, I see that the party is in full swing. My meal is at the table and Peeta grins happily when he spots me. Standing up, he pulls my chair out for me and I sit down. Glimmer and Cato are nowhere to be found. Haymitch is next to me, nursing a glass filled with something copper.

“Where’s Effie?” I ask. He doesn’t answer, so I look around and find her dancing with Seneca. When she meets my eyes, she shrugs.

“Haymitch wouldn’t dance with her,” Peeta tells me.

I noticed that Snow is also gone.

“Where is our reverent leader?” I ask with a scowl.

“Well, after you left, he began to ask me when we would be having children.” I grimace. “I thought you would feel that way. He somehow hinted that maybe you were already just by your exit to the restroom.”

“Ah yes,” I respond with a grin. “My sudden exit equals an impending pregnancy. This is probably not going to help, but I’m starving.”

I quickly eat the chicken breast and wild rice pilaf on my plate. Peeta watches me with a content grin.

“Why are you smiling?” I ask.

“In that dress, you seem icy, almost unreal. Then I see you eating like a pig and I know that you’re still in there.”

My response to this is a long, hard kiss.

“Why don’t you two just do it on the table, Sweetheart?” Haymitch says to me when we pull away.

“I’m going to let that slide,” I tell him. “Obviously, you’re drunk and jealous.”

“I am not drunk and jealous.”

I stand up. “Okay then, come dance with me,” I say and he huffs. “Dance with me, then you can cut in on them.”

“What’s your motive?” he asks suspiciously.

“I’m just trying to help.” I look to Peeta for help.

“Better take her up on it,” he tells Haymitch. “Katniss doesn’t usually offer to dance with anyone other than me.”

Grumbling, he stands up and holds his arm out. “Well, come on then.”

We walk to the floor only a few spots away from Effie and Crane. Haymitch put a hand on my waist and holds out his hand for me to take. We begin to glide across the floor and I am surprised at just how graceful Haymitch is on his feet.

“Shit, you can actually dance,” I remark and Haymitch barks out a laugh.

“When we were kids, Maysilee wanted to learn how to ballroom dance,” he tells me. “She thought that if we learned, we could run away and become a dance act.”

“That’s a nice dream,” I say quietly, but he looks far away. Effie is watching us with an interested look and I wink at her.

Peeta suddenly walks over and taps Haymitch on the shoulder, bringing him out of his reverie. “I’m cutting in, so you should get over there and let him know that Effie is spoken for.”

Haymitch nods and bows slightly. “Thanks for the dance.”

“Anytime,” I say as he shoots off to rescue Effie.

“If he had done that in the first place, there wouldn’t have been any problem,” Peeta says, pulling me close. “Finally, I get to dance with my wife.” We move together slowly. “I know that you’ve heard this from me already, but you do look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I say softly.

“I think you look better without the makeup on,” he replies.

“Are you trying to get into my pants?”

“Is it working?”

“I tried to get into yours,” I argue. “You shot me down.” I give him a pout and he laughs.

Putting his mouth to my ear, I feel the tingling between my legs as his lips lightly graze my lobe. “I think we’ve done our part. Let’s get out of here.”

I nod in agreement and we walk back to our table. I wink at Effie as we pass her and Haymitch on the floor. At the table, Glimmer and Cato sit in deep conversation. I didn’t realize that they were so buddy-buddy.

“Katniss is not feeling well,” Peeta tells them apologetically.

“I’ll let Snow know that you’re feeling under the weather,” Cato says. “We’ll see you at the next one of these.” He looks at Peeta. “My mother’s birthday is coming up and I’d like to buy a cake from your bakery. Can I stop by sometime this week to place an order?”

Peeta nods. “Sure.” He pulls out his wallet and hands a business card to him.

“I hope you feel better, Katniss,” Glimmer says and gets up from her seat. “It was nice seeing you.” She hugs me, then hands me her card. “Come visit me at my office or maybe we can get together for coffee.” She also hugs Peeta before handing him her card. “Give me a call if you need any suggestions for New York.”

He nods and we walk along the sides to avoid running into anyone.

“Do you feel like everyone has been super nice to us?” I ask him once we are outside waiting for the attendant to get the car.

“Maybe it’s because they think you’re pregnant,” he says with a laugh.

I flip him the bird.

“That is really sexy, especially with the dress,” Peeta says, putting an arm around me. “Shake it off.” He rocks me gently and a laugh escapes me.

“Thank you for being wonderful,” I say tenderly as I look at him. “You know in the dark, your eyes look greyish-blue. It’s a pretty color.”

“Let’s hope our kids get them,” he replies and then realizes what he said. “I didn’t mean—“

“As long as they get your hair,” I find myself saying.

Peeta nods and I can tell that he’s not sure if he actually heard what I said. I’m not even sure if I meant what I said.

We continue looking at one another until the parking attendant taps him on the shoulder, handing him the keys to the Chevy.

The rest of our ride is quiet, but it doesn’t bother me at all. My mind is full of questions about tonight. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes for a moment. Exhaustion has taken over and the rumble of the car soothes me.

++++++

“Katniss, we’re home.”

I open my eyes and look around for a moment, confused. Peeta is on his side, smiling softly at me.

“It feels like I just blinked,” I tell him.

“Let’s get you inside,” he replies, getting out of the car. Opening my door, he helps me out.

“Ow, my feet!” I didn’t realize how uncomfortable they’ve become until my feet swelled up.

“Take your shoes off,” Peeta tells me as we reach the front door of the house. “We’re going inside anyway.”

I hold on to his shoulder as I slip them off. “I feel so short now.”

“You’re tall enough for me,” he croons, kissing my forehead.

As we enter the house, Wheaton and Carrie jump apart. I try not to laugh at their useless attempt to fix themselves. Wheaton stands up quickly while Carrie tries to fix her blouse.

“Can I ask where your baby is?” I look at Peeta, who is grinning at his brother.

“Uh…Prim wanted to play with her so she took her upstairs,” Wheaton says sheepishly.

“I’ll go get her,” I tell them with a smile.

Walking upstairs, I toss my shoes into our room before going to Prim’s. Knocking softly, I open the door and find them both asleep. Prim has put a pillow in front of Rhea so that she won’t fall off. I carefully pick Rhea up and she squirms a bit before settling against me.

The baby’s tiny mewls wake my sister and she looks up at me. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks sis,” I reply. “Go back to bed.”

“I’ll put some music on,” she says as she lays her head back down.

“Why?” I ask as I rock Rhea gently.

“Looking like that,” she replies. “I think I’m going to need to put music on. Lord knows what I’ll hear this time if I don’t!”

I feel my cheeks warm. “We said we were sorry,” I reply and she giggles.

“It’s fine,” she tells me. “Sometimes it can be a little much for my virgin ears, especially your potty mouth.”

“As long as you keep your virgin ears until you’re married, we won’t horrify you.”

She nods and grabs her iPod from under her pillow anyway and starts shuffling for songs.

I walk out and close the door behind me, cradling Rhea with my other arm. As I walk down the stairs and into the living room, I can see that the couple is neat again. Carrie stands up and walks over to take Rhea.

As Carrie holds her, I give the baby a kiss on the forehead. “Rhea, you might have a little brother or sister sooner than you think. Your parents are such horndogs.”

“You’re one to talk, sister,” Carrie replies. “Prim told us why she has the iPod.”

“Okay ladies,” Peeta says, standing up and taking my side. “Let’s not discuss this in front of these cute little baby ears.” He looks at his niece. “She’s starting to look more like you, Carrie, except for the hair.” Rhea’s hair has lightened into a caramel brown.

“Your babies will probably have the same color,” Wheaton says and I blush.

Peeta and I remain silent. The room is suddenly filled with an awkward air.

“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Carrie says suddenly and kisses my cheek. “See you at the next family dinner.” She also kisses Peeta’s cheek.

“Thanks for staying with Prim,” I tell them.

“No problem,” Wheaton says to me with a smile. When he smiles, I can see the resemblance between him and Peeta.

Peeta walks them to the door. After closing it, he turns and gives me a smile.

“You look tired,” he says as he walks over to me. Taking my hand, he leads me upstairs. Once we reach the top of the stairs, music can be heard blaring though Prim’s room.

“How can she sleep with that turned up so loud?” Peeta asks as we walk into our room. Closing the door, he removes his tuxedo jacket.

“I think it’s either hear music or hear us,” I reply. “The lesser of two evils, I guess.”

“I hardly think that what we do is evil,” Peeta says as he walks towards me.

Placing his lips on mine, he kisses me softly. Before I even close my eyes, he pulls away. I groan as he steps back, still looking at me.

“Can I ask you something?” I nod and he continues. “Do you think that we’ve ever made love?”

“Is there a difference?” I respond. “Sex is sex, right?”

Peeta shakes his head. “Making love and fucking each other are two different things.”

“How do you know the difference?” I sit on the bed and look up at him.

I guess it feels different,” he says to me. “Honestly, I’ve fucked girls and I’ve even fucked you. You are the only girl that I’d want to make love to though.”

I look at him understandingly. “I guess we are less experienced than we realize,” I admit as he sits down next to me. “Making love-wise, not sex-wise, I mean.”

“Why didn’t you ever want to get married?” he asks. His hand touches my neck and I feel him slowly unzip my dress. The tingle has returned, but there is something different. I feel like my body has become electrified just by his touch.

“I don’t want to love anyone like my Mom loved my Dad,” I say softly. “Even you.”

I think about what happened when my Dad died. Mom became a basketcase, forgetting about Prim and I. Every day was an uphill battle. Sometimes, she was okay and would tell me how sorry she was. Other days, she would cry for hours on end.

One day, she locked herself in her room and I had to call the cops. Peeta’s dad, who happened to be working at the bakery that day, was able to coax her out. She spent an entire month in UCSF Hospital under suicide watch.

I told myself then that I would never love anyone as fully or as openly as she did. I wouldn’t end up like her.

“Your mom was sorry, Katniss,” Peeta tells me. “She tried in the end.”

I nod and wipe away the tears that have fallen.

Peeta lifts my chin so he can look into my eyes. “Do you think that you could risk falling in love with me like that? Not now, but one day.”

“I think I am.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Never.” He kisses me, but it is softer than usual. The fire is there. I feel my dress slip off my shoulders.

Peeta kisses the shoulder closest to him. He works himself across, unclasping the straps of my bra as he does. He stands, helping me up so my dress falls to the ground in a careless heap. I stand before him in only my stockings, garter and panties.

Falling slowly to his knees, he runs his hands over one covered leg so he can undo the garter, holding it up. He stares at my body reverently.

“Are you alright?” I ask. “Your leg…”

“I’m okay,” he says quietly as he looks up at me. “Let me try. Let me try to figure out how to make love to you.”

“Why are you doing this?” Peeta slowly removes my stocking and kisses my leg from ankle to thigh.

His eyes looked worried when he responds. “Because I want to believe that one day you won’t be scared to love me like I love you. That maybe there’s a possibility of you wanting a child with me, even if it takes years.”

“You want me to fall,” I state. “You want me to risk my heart, my sanity.”

“Yes,” he replies as he pulls the last piece of clothing from my body. “I’m not afraid to wait.” He walks towards me and I take a step backwards, feeling the edge of the bed. I sit down and watch him undress himself.

When he’s naked, I stare at his body. Peeta is muscular, with thick legs and a chest that is broad, but fit. He sits next to me and takes my hand.

“I love you,” he says softly. I take his face in my hands so I can kiss him in response. “Please love me.” His voice sounds so sad. I don’t know what I did to make him believe that I don’t love him.

It has to be me. I know it, too. I can be unbelievably cold to people. The only person that I am not as cold towards is Prim. I find myself trying to stop the anxiety building in my chest. Once you let one person inside, then you begin to let everyone else in. I realize that I have slowly been letting Peeta in.

“I do love you,” I say after a moment. Lying back, I hold my arms out to him. “Come here.” Peeta moves over so that his body is over mine.

Putting his forehead against my own, he stares into my eyes. I widen my legs and when he slips inside, I inhale sharply. There is something different about this time. He is slow and deliberate as he moves within me, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I love you,” he chants, over and over. When I look at him, I can see everything in his blue eyes. Peeta is never afraid and never hides from me. The realization of this brings something out in me and I moan. The feeling of him inside me this time feels different. Each movement causes my body to react and I reach to clasp his hand in mine. I want to connect myself to him in every way possible.

I don’t even realize that I am crying until I let out a choked-up gasp. I feel unprotected, which is both exhilarating and scary at the same time. I want to let myself fall, damn the consequences.

“Katniss, what’s wrong?” he asks huskily.

“Please don’t hurt me.” I beg, the words coming out suddenly. “I am in love with you and I’m scared as hell because of it.”

He tightens his hold on our clasped hands. “I’m going to try not to. I’m not going to be perfect right away, but I want to work on it.” He continues making love to me slowly. “Give us a chance.”

I nod and suddenly I feel myself climaxing. My insides tighten and I arch harshly against his hip.

“I love you.” It comes out in one breath.

“Katniss,” he moans before spilling into me. He peppers my face with kisses. My mouth curls up in a smile as he does.

The music from the next room floats through the walls as Peeta slowly removes himself from me. I turn towards the wall where the music is coming from. Peeta spoons me and wraps his arms around my waist.

We listen to the melody as we hold one another. Before I close my eyes, I hear the lyrics of the song.

_“You be good to me,_

_I’ll be good to you_

_We’ll be together_

_Walk away with victory_

_Oh baby, love and happiness…”_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Attn: There is going to be another fast forward in the next chapter. It will take place six months later.

Embarcadero Street runs from under the Bay Bridge and along the piers which are right next to the bay.

According to my husband, the lot mentioned will eventually be turned into the area for Golden State Warriors Arena.

The route used to get from downtown to the Officers Club is an actual route. I went over it with my husband and Google since I suck at directions.

Russian Hill is where the crooked street is, the one you see in postcards which by the way isn’t the most crooked street in San Francisco. It is a nice neighborhood because it close to Nob Hill.

The Officers Club is a building in the Presidio which is an old army base that is now used for housing as well as business offices. LucasArts does have a campus there. I went in once and it was awesome, especially their cafeteria.

So it was sentimental smut—senti-smut. I often think of how to distinguish love-making with general sex. I guess there is certain sense of vulnerability when you’re in love with a person. Katniss doesn’t fully fall for anyone so easily, even Peeta. I see a big change for Katniss in the next few chapters.

The story she tells about her mother is actually taken from one of my own experiences. My own mother experienced a severe bout of depression after she had her heart surgery and lost her job. The whole cops coming and locking herself in the bedroom—it really happened.

Cato and Glimmer are two very ambitious people and like the book—they are Careers in a way. There is more to them than you think. Anyone want to make guesses?

The dress I picked can be found on the Neiman Marcus website. I will post it if there are any requests. I just pictured Katniss looking very sexy but subtle, which was opposite of what Snow wanted. Cinna is still rebellious and a madman.

The songs…I picked the mushiest song that I could think of for Peeta and Katniss’s makeout song. I wanted something so not them. I remember reading that that the Berlin song was the song that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson first kissed to. Cheesy…

Songs:

“Both of Us”-B.O.B ft. Taylor Swift

“Kissing You”-Total

“Betcha, by Golly Wow” –The Stylistics

“Love and Happiness”-Al Green (someone mentioned this song to me. Thank you!)

You can message me on Tumblr or e-mail: JLaLaFics@yahoo.com with any feedback.

Next chapter: Prim turns sixteen, we find out more about Glimmer and even Cato-Peeta’s POV

-JLaLa


	17. Part Four: Peeta

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

Also, thank you to Chelzie who holds it together for me and well, the rest of the fandom.

Here, making each day of the year  
Changing my life with the wave of her hand  
Nobody can deny that there's something there

There, running my hands through her hair  
Both of us thinking how good it can be  
Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there…

-The Beatles (Here, There and Everywhere)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Four, Chapter Sixteen: Peeta

_Six Months Later-San Francisco International Airport_

I stretch my neck as I walk out of the gate. It took almost six hours to get me home from New York.

Home to my girls, but more importantly, home to my wife.

Two weeks in New York was too long. I should’ve known better than to leave for such a large amount of time. I couldn’t even take the weekend that I had spent in Seattle months ago.

New York was beautiful. Though I couldn’t help but think that it would have been better if Katniss was there.

Maybe we can take a trip after we’ve both graduated. We are both almost there. She will be getting her degree in Environmental Studies as I earn my Business degree. I hadn’t planned to pursue business, but it just happened. If it helps me run the bakery, then I’m happy.

My grades aren’t like Katniss’, however. She has managed to stay on the dean’s list for the last two semesters despite the craziness of our lives. While I was in New York, she was scheduled for an interview with an environmental consulting agency that is based in Oyster Point, close to the Genentech campus.

I can’t wait to see her. Getting off the escalator to baggage claim, I look around, trying to spot my wife.

My eyes find hers in the crowd. I feel Katniss’ stare and my lips break into a grin. Prim is beside her, jumping up and down excitedly.

Now I’m really home.

“Peeta!” Prim runs and throws her arms around me when we reach one another. I hug her tightly and see Katniss coming towards us with an amused grin. I wink and mouth a ‘Hello’ to her.

She does the same. Prim pulls away and then looks at both of us.

“I’m going to turn around and give you two a moment,” she says and turns her back. “Okay, you can go ahead and make out now.”

I laugh and reach for Katniss. “Hello.” She wraps her arms around my neck. We melt into one another.

“Hi,” she says softly, staring into my eyes. “I missed you.”

My lips find hers immediately and it doesn’t matter that we’re in a crowded airport. We no longer care that there are people passing by and staring at us, or the fact that Prim is starting to get impatient. I can tell by the rapid tapping of her foot.

Her lips are soft and when I brush my tongue against hers, she immediately moans into my mouth. It has been too long. I feel her push her body closer to me and my hands cup her firm ass. Lifting her off the ground, she instinctively wraps her legs around my waist.

“WOOO!” We pull apart to see a group of soldiers pass us, catcalling as they do. One of them salutes me, and Katniss buries her face in my neck.

Prim turns because of the noise and her eyes widen when she sees her sister with her legs around my waist.

“WHOA!”

Katniss carefully untangles one leg, then the other so that she is back on the ground. My arms encircle her waist so I can hold her to me. She seems to understand my need. It has been a lonely two weeks for both of us. Phone sex can only go so far.

Prim looks at both of us with a soft smile. “I’m going to go get your luggage. When you two are ready, come join me.” She walks toward the carousel.

I notice a few of the soldiers checking her out. Prim’s long blonde hair falls to her waist. She no longer wears it in a braid. Katniss follows my gaze and then looks at me again.

“I don’t know what happened,” she tells me as we pull apart. I put an arm around her. “I woke up one day and she became a woman.”

“Sixteen,” I say. “I can’t believe it.”

“In a week,” Katniss informs me. “Maybe we should have a talk with her.”

“A talk?” I repeat. She takes my hand as we begin to walk towards the carousel.

“She’s going to be sixteen,” she reminds me. “Do you remember what I did when I was sixteen? Or better yet, who I did?”

Gale. I frown, remembering this part of her past.

“It was a different set of circumstances,” I reason. “You were emotional from losing your Dad, and in a way, your Mom.” I look over at Prim, who is bent over so she can look into the baggage feed. I also notice the number of men, both young and old, checking out my little sister’s behind. Grimacing, I look at my wife. “Maybe you’re right.”

Katniss smiles up at me. “I’m glad you’re home. The bed has been lonely without you.”

I graze my lips over hers and look into her eyes as I pull away.

“Remember what I said on the phone?” I whisper into her ear. “I was always right next to you. Your hands on your body were actually my hands on you.”

“It’s not the same,” she states. “I’ll show you later.” Katniss grins before joining Prim over the edge of the carousel.

I smile to myself.

It is really good to be home.

++++++

That night, I sit with my laptop in our room.

I am working on the distribution list for the East Coast. Wheaton wants to see the number at the tomorrow night’s family dinner and he is a stickler for making sure that the numbers are correct. Not to mention that Carrie is a former business manager, so she’ll be kicking my ass if it doesn’t all add up.

“Peeta?” I look up.

The laptop almost falls to the ground. I catch it just in time, though my eyes remain staring at Katniss. She is standing shyly before me in a sheer black babydoll. Her hair is down and the waves fall softly against her chest, which is rising and falling rapidly at my gaze.

“Wow,” I manage to get out as I clumsily sit back and close the laptop, placing it on the ground next to the chair. The numbers can wait.

“Annie helped me pick it out,” she tells me and looks down at it. “Is it alright?”

“You’re perfect,” I reply. “I owe Annie a cake or something.” Katniss grins and I am hard. Once again, she doesn’t realize the effect she has.

“It’s been so long,” Katniss says quietly. “Well, for us, anyway.”

“In New York, I would imagine you with me,” I watch as she walks slowly to me. “My imagination never conjured this up, though.”

I place my hands on her hips and look up at her. She runs a hand though my hair and I close my eyes at her touch. Reaching under the sheer fabric, I find the piece of cloth that are her panties. Hooking a finger on the band, I gently pull them down. They fall to the ground and she steps out of them.

Standing up, I am face to face with my wife. Her eyes never leave mine even when she begins to unbutton the shirt I’m wearing. Pushing it off me, she tosses it to the floor.

“As much as I didn’t mind my own hand,” she says as she undoes my belt buckle. “It’s never the same as feeling you in me.” I groan. Katniss smiles softly as she unbuttons the front of my jeans and unzips them carefully. They land around my ankles and I step out and away from them.

Without another thought, our lips meet in a harsh, needy kiss.

My arms wrap around her waist so I can pull her close. She hooks a leg around my waist and grinds herself against my pelvis. The only barrier between us is my boxer briefs, which Katniss is trying to take off. I pull my lips away so I can remove them quickly. She watches me and licks her lips in anticipation.

Going to her again, I push the thin strap of her baby-doll aside so I can kiss her smooth shoulder. My mouth works its way to her neck. I suck on the skin, and she moans into my ear.

I pull away and remove the last piece of clothing between our bodies, her baby-doll. Katniss takes my hand and leads me to the chair I was sitting in.

“Sit,” she demands. I do what she asks.

“What are you going to do with me?” I ask as I watch her nude form in front of me. My eyes look to the apex of her thighs and I can see that she is wet. My hand reaches to push her thighs apart and I slide a single finger into her. “Or better yet, what do you want me to do with you?”

Katniss groans as my finger moves within her. Leaning forward, she holds on to the back of the chair for support. Her breasts are in front of me and my mouth finds a nipple. I suck on it and her knees almost unbuckle.

“Is that what you want?” I say as I remove my mouth from her.

She shakes her and straddles me. With my hands on her hips, I guide her to my tip and Katniss plunges down in one rough motion.

We both moan at the feeling of finally being together.

“Finally,” she sighs.

I laugh and Katniss manages to smile before she lifts her hips and sinks into me again. She is on her toes, keeping herself balanced while her right hand grips onto the back of the chair.

“Turn around,” I tell her suddenly.

“What?”

“Turn around,” I repeat. “Like you’re sitting on my lap.”

“Okay,” she says breathlessly.

Getting up, Katniss turns and I get a view of her beautiful backside. As she begins to sit, I hold my cock so that I can position it at her entrance. When she is sitting fully on my lap, I am inside of her again.

“This feels--different,” Katniss says as I reach around in front to fondle her breasts. “It feels good, though.” I pinch her nipples as she begins to move again.

“Lay back, Sweetheart,” I tell her and she does. Her head rests against my shoulder and my lips find her ear. I nip it gently and her hips buck. I feel her muscles grip me gently.

We find our rhythm, and it’s funny how the sex has transitioned into lovemaking. Our movements have slowed and we are languid in our motions, enjoying the feel of one another. Katniss reaches behind me and puts a hand behind my head. When she turns to kiss me, her hand grips my hair.

“You see?” she tells me when she pulls away. “I couldn’t do that by myself.”

“I love you.” I let one hand palm her breast while the other one goes to her clit. I dip my index and middle fingers into her core, circling the bud. Katniss squirms in my lap and I arch up my hips.

“I love you…I need you, Peeta,” she says without thinking. “I’ll always need you.” Her eyes are closed in pleasure.

We have spent the last six months slowly trying to work on our relationship. Katniss is trying to separate her heart and her head. There are times when she does push me away. She knows it, too.

There are other times, however, when she opens up to me. She tells me of her fears about us; how she wants to love me, but the fear of losing herself in the process causes her anxiety. She is scared that I will grow impatient with her.

I love her and have waited for her. These kinds of feelings never go away, I always remind her.

“Peeta, I need to come,” she pleads.

“Stand up.” Katniss groans, yet complies with my instructions. Once she is standing, I scoop her up bridal style and she screams in surprise. “Shhh! Do you want to wake Prim?”

“TOO LATE.” Prim’s groggy, yet annoyed voice travels through the wall. “Some of us have very important exams tomorrow, you know.”

My wife and I groan. I place her back down. The mood has been killed.

“She has an SAT prep course tomorrow and there’s some big pre-test happening,” Katniss informs me and looks to the wall. “Sorry, sis.”

Prim doesn’t reply, which means tomorrow she’ll be irritated. Lord, help us.

Naked and now disgruntled, we both walk hand-in-hand to our bed. I pull back the blankets back for her. Katniss looks exhausted.

“Are you okay?” I ask her as I walk to my side. Laying my head on my pillow, I turn so I can spoon her. She scoots closer to me and I drape an arm over her chest. “You look tired.”

“It was a long two weeks,” she replies and kisses my arm. “Tell me about New York. What was your favorite part?”

“Empire State,” I reply. “I went there on a weekday when it wasn’t that crowded and I watched the sunset.” I kiss the side of her head. “The sky was that orange color that I like.”

She moves so her body is pressed against mine. “It must have been beautiful. I wish I’d been there with you.”

“In a way, you were.” She hooks her ankle around mine. “You were never far from my mind.”

Katniss trails kisses along the arm that I’ve draped over her and one of her hands has reached behind to grip me. My body reacts immediately by her touch.

“I did a lot of studying,” she tells me as she runs her hand along my now hard length. “I got an A on my paper about the Academy of Sciences.”

“I’m sure Renzo Piano would find you tough competition.” She moves herself over my erection and sinks into me slowly. “Oh, wow.”

“Wow?” she repeats and I can hear her grin.

“I was saying wow because one day you’re going to design an amazing sustainable building,” I say and groan as we move slowly together. “Oh crap, you feel amazing.”

“Where else did you go?” she asks, sighing. She lays her head back against my shoulder. “Peeta…”

“Uh…Times Square.” Our pace quickens and she moans. “Not so loud,” I say and she nods in agreement. “I sat on some steps in the middle of Times Square and I thought that you should’ve been there.”

She turns her head and our lips meet in a sloppy kiss. I suddenly find myself on my back as Katniss rides me like a woman possessed. Our mattress is firm enough to not make any noise as she roughly rocks on top of me. My hands find her nipples, pinching them into hard peaks.

My wife puts a hand on my chest, giving herself more leverage as she moves up and down. Her eyes roll backward.

“Come for me, Katniss,” I tell her quietly. “Remember what I said when we were on the phone on New York?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “I remember.”

“What did I say?”

“You wanted nothing more than to feel me come.” Katniss glistens with sweat and the sight of her makes my hips jerk. Her hand hastily finds her clit and she is caressing herself with urgency. She looks so sexy pleasuring herself.

I feel her clamp down on my cock and the grip is so hard that I come. She covers my mouth, knowing full well that some sort of expletive will escape my mouth mid-orgasm. Her head lands on my chest and I run a trembling hand against her hair. We don’t speak.

After a few minutes, I realize that she has fallen asleep with her body on top of mine and me still inside her. I look at her relaxed face and don’t have the heart to wake her.

Eventually, I succumb to a peaceful sleep, smelling her coconut scented hair and listening to her sighs.

++++++

“Prim?” Mom’s hoarse voice calls to my younger sister. “What would you like to do for your sixteenth birthday? It’s a big year.”

She is thinner now, too thin. Her face has become a greyish color and she doesn’t walk anymore. Nor does she eat solid food. Her dinner tonight is a simple broth, as anything else will make her sick.

Prim puts her fork down and smiles shyly. “Nothing big this year, I just want to have dinner here with everyone.”

I look over at Katniss, who takes my hand. We’ve had a talk with Prim about Mom. She understands that her prognosis is not good. Prim also doesn’t want a big party. She wanted it to be all about her family this year. I tried not to cry when she said this.

“Any food requests from the birthday girl?” Mom asks with a smile.

“Nothing in particular, except for a chocolate cake from Peeta!”

Rhea squirms in her high chair. I can’t believe that she is sitting up now, let alone holding her own bottle. She is placed in-between Mom and Carrie. Mom tickles her chin and Rhea cracks a toothless smile.

“I heard that you had an interview with the Beetee Consulting Firm,” Rye says to Katniss.

He sits across from me with Marvel beside him. They have just moved in together.

My wife nods shyly. “It wasn’t a big deal,” she tells us. “My professor knows him and she actually got me the interview.”

“That’s impressive, Katniss,” Wheaton says to her. “That corporation has offices all over the world…New York, Japan, London…”

“We’ll see.” Katniss remains tight-lipped on the subject.

“I’m sure our Katniss will make us proud,” Dad adds with a smile.

When we’ve all finished our dinner, we go to the living room. Prim is setting up Scrabble for her and my brothers. Marvel will be their referee, as it’s been known to get intense. Both Prim and Wheaton can be highly competitive.

“Everyone,” We all look at Dad and Katniss straightens up next to me. “We need to have a talk.”

“Prim, why don’t you bring Rhea upstairs for her nap?” Katniss suggests.

My little sister is defiant. “No, I should be here too.”

I put a hand on Katniss’ shoulder and she looks over at me. “She’s going to be sixteen and she’s not a little girl anymore.”

“Okay,” she relents. “You can stay.”

We all turn to my Dad. He looks over Mom, squeezing her hand. I have never seen them as affectionate as they have been over this last year.

“Your mother wanted to talk about her—final stages.” Dad swallows and I can tell that he is struggling.

“Since my last doctor’s visit, I’ve decided that it would be best for me to enter a hospice,” Mom continues.

“Mom, no,” Carrie interjects. “I told you that I would be here at the house.”

“You have Rhea,” she tells my sister-in-law. “You have your own family to take care of.”

“Is it really that bad for you, Mom?” Rye asks. This has all happened so fast for us.

“The pain has gotten increasingly worse and medication can only go so far,” Mom tells us gently. “There’s nothing for me to do but to wait and—“ she pauses, looking over at Dad. “I don’t want anything to happen here. This is our home and it should be a place of happiness.”

“So, you’re just going to give up,” I interject. “You’re just going to stick yourself somewhere to wait.”

“Peeta, your mother is making a conscious decision in regards to her health,” Katniss says. “I think that you should commend her, not persecute her.”

“So you want me to sit here and tell her that it’s okay to wait in this place to die?”

I hear Prim gasp and feel myself bristle in irritation. She was the one who wanted to stay.

Katniss is looking at me with that fire in her eyes. “You’re making this difficult for her.”

“She’s my Mom. I’m not going to sit here and tell her that it’s okay to leave her home, her family and her husband!”

Katniss glares at me. “It’s her choice. She made her choice and you should be happy that she’s making her own decisions about her life! Not everyone gets that!”

Her voice carries throughout the living room. No one says a word. No one dares to come between us.

“Who?” I am on my feet. “Who didn’t get a choice?” For a moment, that irrational part of my mind thinks that she is talking about herself. She didn’t have a choice really when she married me.

Katniss jumps to her feet and we are at a standoff.

“MY MOTHER!” It comes out in a half scream and a half sob. “My mother didn’t get a choice when she was hit by a car! So you should be fucking grateful that your own mother is making a choice!”

Then she is crying. Crying Katniss is an anomaly to me. My wife never cries in front of everyone. Prim stands up and pulls her sister into her arms. Prim meets my eyes and glares.

Great, now they’re both pissed.

“Fuck this!” I walk out. I can’t be around anyone, especially not Katniss’ tear-stained face or my mother’s sad, sunken-in eyes.

I walk towards the back of the house and yank open the door to our backyard. Slamming it behind me, I stomp over to the nearest tree and punch it once. I’m not sure why I’m angry.

It’s the image of my mother in the hospital that scares me the most. The fire in Katniss’ eyes is so much like my Mom’s. My fear is seeing that light extinguish in front of me.

My cell phone rings and I groan upon seeing the name. This is not the best time.

“Can you I call you back?” I ask. The door behind me opens. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hanging up, I turn to see Wheaton and Rye walking over.

They stop in front of me. “So which one of you is going to yell at me first?”

Rye holds up two bottles. “Just checking to see if you wanted a beer.”

I nod and follow them to the deck. Wheaton takes out his keychain with his bottle opener. He pops the top off his bottle, then the ones held by Rye. He hands me my bottle and I take a sip right away.

“Who were you on the phone with?” Wheaton asks.

“None of your business.”

“Jeez, little brother,” he replies. “What is up your ass?”

“Are you really okay with Mom going to this place?” I ask both of them. Both of their faces fall.

“Of course not,” Rye says to me. “It’s what she wants though. You know that once Mom gets her mind set on something, there is nothing that anyone can do.”

“Stubborn as a mule,” I say and take another sip.

“I’ve talked to Mom’s part-time nurse,” Wheaton says. “Her morphine doses are increasing. She’s in constant pain and it can’t be managed at home.” He takes a long gulp from his bottle. “Mom doesn’t want us to think of this house as her coffin. For her, it is first and foremost our home.”

“Mom’s dying,” I say softly and my voice shakes. Wheaton rubs my back.

“Yes, she is.” I look over at him. “But she’s taking control of her life. What’s left of it, anyway.”

“How is my wife?”

“She’s in the bathroom,” Rye says. “Katniss has been moody. Almost bit my head off last week.”

“It was a hard two weeks for us,” I reply. “She was really nervous about her interview with Beetee.”

“I’m sure she did great,” Wheaton says. “You, on the other hand, are not doing so great.”

“Yeah,” Rye agrees and then sees my hand. “You punched the tree?”

I nod and he grins. Wheaton even manages a smile.

“I’ve been there,” Rye tells me. “Junior year, when I lost a game against El Camino.”

“Senior year. Tina Nguyen broke up with me,” Wheaton says and chugs the rest of the bottle. “We should have brought more than one each.”

I shrug and finish off my bottle.

“I’d better go in,” I tell them and they nod. Wheaton takes our bottles and tosses them in the recycling bin. Rye puts an arm around me and leads me back to the house, closing the door behind us. Once we are inside, Wheaton joins us and we walk back into the living room.

My parents sit together. The rest of the room is empty. The Scrabble game is set-up, but no players are at the table.

I rush over to my Mom and I am on my knees before her. She immediately pulls me into her arms and my head is against her chest. My eyes water as I realize how thin she is by the fact that I can feel her bones jutting out of her skin.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

“Peeta, my boy,” Mom says. “You were always the stubborn one.”

“I know, but you never loved me any less,” I reply and look up at her. “In fact, you loved me even more.”

I think of how I always thought she was strict. I’m sure that my brothers and I didn’t make it easy for her. Her anger towards me was actually a fear for me. Mom didn’t know how to communicate in any other way.

“Katniss is upstairs,” she tells me. “Make up with her. She is losing another mother.”

I nod and go upstairs to grovel.

++++++

When I reach the top of the stairs, I see Prim come out of the bathroom. Her eyes meet mine.

“Is she in there?” I ask.

Prim crosses her arms and nods.

“You still mad at me?”

She nods again.

“Can I go in there?”

Prim nods once more.

“I’m sorry that I yelled at Katniss,” I tell her. “Sometimes I don’t realize that you are going to lose Mom, too. You’ve already lost so much.”

Her face softens, though she remains silent. When she passes me, Prim squeezes my shoulder before heading down the stairs.

I knock. “Katniss, I’m coming in.”

Turning the knob, I open the door and quickly enter. Katniss sits on the counter, clumps of tissue strewn next to her.

Her eyes meet mine. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she says, her voice rough.

Walking over, I stand in front of her. “I’m sorry.” I get some tissue and wipe her red face. Kissing her, I press my forehead to hers. “You can cry if you want. I won’t tell anyone.” I cup her face in my hands. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know,” she replies. “I’ve been a bitch for the past few days. PMS or some other female thing.”

I kiss her again in response. My hands leave her face and travel down to her waist. She deepens the kiss, groaning as she does. Her tongue brushes against mine as she gently explores my mouth. Her hands brush up my chest.

One of my hands reaches in-between her legs. She usually wears a dress to dinner and this is the first time that it has worked in our favor. Spreading apart her thighs, I find the thin fabric of her panties. She adjusts herself against the counter so that she can rub her damp core against my crotch.

I pull away, hissing in pleasure as she undoes my pants. Pushing them down quickly, she hikes up the skirt of her dress and removes her panties in one swift motion.

Our hips meet and I am inside her. This is not the same as last night. It is rough and needy. It feels amazing.

She is holding herself up on the counter, hands planted on the marble. Her legs hang as I push inside her.

“I really am sorry,” I tell her as we move.

“Stop talking.” She responds, throwing her arms around my neck and meeting my rough thrusts at the same time.

“Katniss, what are you doing to me?” I say. “You could probably ask me for anything right now and I’d say yes.”

Instead of requesting anything, she bites my lip, HARD.

I come, the pain and the pleasure overwhelming me as my wife pulses around me. Gasping for breath, I hold her in my arms.

“I love you, Peeta,” she says quietly, her head resting on my shoulder. I kiss the side of her head.

I savor her words silently, almost fearing that what she said was all in my head.

Slowly we pull apart and Katniss shyly pulls her skirt down. She arranges her hair back into a neat topknot and I hand her back her barely there underwear.

“That’s a really pretty dress,” I say, really taking a look at it. It is a simple navy and coral sheath dress. It fits her nicely, though her skirt is a bit wrinkled.

She looks down at it. “Oh, you like it? Portia gave it to me. She said the hem was too short for her.”

I look at the dress again as I buckle my belt. On Katniss, it is inches above her knees. It would be a shirt on Portia since she’s so tall.

“Her loss, your gain,” I say to her and give her a kiss. “You still mad at me?”

“I was never mad at you,” she replies as she fixes my hair. “I just don’t like to see your Mom suffering.”

“Wheaton told me that they’ve upped her meds.”

She nods. “She just wants some dignity.” Katniss looks at me. “We should give her that at least.”

Katniss catches sight of my hand. “I was upset,” I tell her sheepishly. “Got into a fight with a tree.”

My wife doesn’t say anything. Taking my hand, she turns on the sink and runs the water over my raw knuckles. I point her to a nearby cabinet where she finds gauze and a bandage so she can wrap my hand.

Taking her hand with my bandaged one, I kiss the top of it. I open the door and we walk out into the hallway. As we go down the stairs, I put an arm around her and she wraps her arm around my waist.

As we enter the living room, everyone looks up at us before going back to their activities.

Mom and Dad sit in the same spot they were. Carrie sits next to them, while Mom holds a sleeping Rhea. Wheaton sits on the floor with Prim and Rye. Marvel is in a chair nearby with the dictionary. Prim is eating a slice of pie as she looks over the gameboard.

“So did you two kiss and make up?” Mom asks with a smile.

My face heats up. It’s like she could tell what we did. Katniss tightens her hold on my waist and I turn to her. Her own face is red.

We look at my parents and nod quickly.

“Peeta, your zipper is undone,” Dad says gently.

The room goes silent. I pull away quickly from Katniss and turn to fix myself. When I turn back around, everyone else is looking up at us again. All of them grin at us. Except for Prim.

Her arm is frozen in mid-air, as she was about to take a bite of pie when my dad decided to announce that my fly was down.

“Again?” she exclaims, putting the fork down and shaking her head at us. “You two are like rabbits. I can’t even eat this anymore.”

Rye takes the plate from her. “I’ll eat that for you.” He looks up at us and winks. “Thanks for the pie, you two.”

++++++

“Peeta, there’s someone out front to see you,” Rue tells me as she walks into the kitchen, looking at me suspiciously.

“Thanks,” I say and wipe my hands. “Why don’t you take a break? I’m going to close up for about thirty minutes.”

Rue raises her eyebrows, but takes her bag before walking out the back door. I wipe the flour off my hands and walk into the front room.

Glimmer stands and she grins upon seeing me. “Hello Peeta.”

I smile back. “Hey, kid,” I greet back.

She places her hands on her hips in mock exasperation. “We’re the same age.”

“I’m married, so that adds like ten years,” I reply. “Have a seat. The usual?” She nods, sitting at the table furthest from the window. In a black pinstripe suit, Glimmer looks every bit the business woman. However, I remember the girl in the school choir and besides my wife, she’s one of the smartest girls I know.

Handing her a coffee and French donut, I sit down next to her. After she adds a packet of sugar, Glimmer takes a sip and places the cup back down.

“So, how’s our girl?” she asks me seriously.

“She’s had a lot going on,” I tell her. “Katniss had her interview with Beetee Consulting.”

“Oh, wow,” she replies. “That’s a big deal.” Glimmer takes another sip. “How was the last fundraiser event?”

I grimace. “Not so good.”

The door opens and Cato walks in with a huge smile. “Is this the ‘I Love Katniss’ club meeting?”

Glimmer flips him off.

“Yes and you’re late,” I inform him.

“I’m sure that Glimmer didn’t mind,” Cato says and shoots her a sly smile. “She needs all the stories she can get.”

Six months ago, Cato came to the bakery and informed me that he was part of an operation that was slowly working to take Snow down. In fact, as Snow’s intern, he started gathering information over the past six months once he found out about our case.

Cato is actually an investigator for the city. Glimmer became involved when Snow threatened her father, just like he threatened us. The two work together and Snow now believes that they are dating.

It’s the farthest thing from the truth.

The ‘I Love Katniss’ club is the name that he came up with for our trio as a joke. Truthfully, two of our three actually do love her.

The other person is not Cato.

I didn’t notice in high school that besides myself, there was someone else looking at Katniss. Cato was not so tactful when he mentioned Glimmer’s feelings during one of our meetings.

In fact, it was the first time that I saw Glimmer cry.

“Shut up, Cato.” She takes a sip and hands him the plate with the half-eaten donut. “This is not about me. This is about Snow.”

“So, what’s been going on?” I ask him.

Cato pulls out his laptop. “Snow has been giving out business licenses for ‘donations’ to his campaign. Sometimes, that fucker can be a little too trusting.” He opens up his laptop and finds a folder on his desktop. “In fact, he wanted me to create a contract with each one of them. The account that they’re transferring their money into is a private account.”

“So doesn’t that mean that we have him?” Glimmer asks. “Can we just hang him by his balls now?”

“Ouch, darling,” Cato says with a grim smile. “First off, all of this is still flimsy. He’s asking ME to create the contracts. So he can always pin this on me.”

“And I’m supposed to care because…”

“Because if the evidence isn’t solid, the case is screwed,” he tells her. “What about you? Anything on your end?”

“I’ve recorded a conversation that Snow had with Dad,” Glimmer says. “He’s asking for an increase in his donation.”

“Where is the money going?” I ask.

“To a side business, from what I can tell.” Cato pulls up another folder. “I’ve got invoices for construction in Puerto Vallarta and Manila.”

“Shady,” Glimmer remarks and then turns to me. “Isn’t your sister from the Philippines?”

“Carrie?” I nod. “I can always have her check in with her dad.”

“Perfect.” Cato closes his laptop. “I’ll call or text with any other updates.” He looks at me. “Are you okay? When I called, you sounded pretty upset.”

“Katniss and I had a fight,” I tell them both. “About Mom’s treatment and everything.” Glimmer pats my shoulder. “We’re fine now, but it got pretty heated.”

I don’t mention the bathroom incident.

“I had coffee with Katniss while you were away,” Glimmer says with a blush.

I turn to her with a grin. “Are you trying to steal my wife from me?”

“No!” She shakes her head a little too quickly. Cato laughs at her embarrassment. “Katniss and I always had interesting conversations in high school.” Her crush on Katniss began during their time in the school choir together. Like myself, Glimmer adored her voice.

“About how adorable you both thought I was?” I joke.

“Our conversations never involved you or your cuteness,” Glimmer replies. “She was upset though, and also seemed nervous.”

“The last event for Snow was during my trip to New York,” I tell them. “Katniss didn’t want to go, but he insisted.”

“Don’t worry, I kept her entertained,” Cato tells us.

Glimmer and I both glare at him.

“I danced with her and made sure that she ate enough,” he says. “What did you think I did with her?”

Rue walks in and stops in place when she sees the three of us. Her eyes zero in on Cato.

“I’m back from my break,” she informs me with a blush and then looks over at my friend. “Are you Cato?”

“Yup.” He winks at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Prim’s right, you are cute,” she tells him.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth,” Glimmer says and then stands up. Cato and I do the same. “I’ll call you two next week.” She kisses my cheek. “Take care of our girl, okay?” Her eyes are soft at the thought of Katniss.

I feel immensely lucky to have Katniss even look at me. Glimmer always seems to remind me of that.

“I’ll walk out with you,” Cato says and puts an arm around her shoulders. “Then you can tell me about the girl from Mercy that you frenched during your junior year.”

“You never get tired of that story, do you?”

“Nope,” he replies and then turns to me. “Next week at Blackthorn?” I nod. “See you then.”

With that, the two leave with their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Those two could be brother and sister.

“Prim is going to be disappointed,” Rue tells me as she leans on the counter. “That girl is gorgeous.”

“That girl has a crush on Katniss,” I say as I grab Glimmer’s plate and put it in the sink area behind the counter.

“Well, okay then,” Rue says with a giggle.

“How are you, kid?”

“I’m fine.” She fiddles with the display. “Just doing the usual.”

I look over at her. “I’ve noticed that Rory has been coming around to the bakery a lot,” I say to her.

Rue freezes for a moment before continuing her work. “He gets bored so he comes to see me.”

Since my return, Rory visits her every day. Sometimes, it’s for homework. Other times, it’s because he wants to show her a new song that he’s learned. I was his age once, so I’m not blind when it comes to adolescent male courting rituals.

“Rue, do you like Rory?” I ask bluntly. Though Prim is my sister, I have a relationship with Rue as her boss and of course, her friend.

She shakes her head slowly. It’s unconvincing, since the blush she has tells me otherwise.

I continue to look at her until she finally turns to me. “What?”

“Talk to me,” I tell her.

Rue shuts the door to the display and tosses the empty tray that she was holding into the sink. It clangs loudly against the metal. Turning the sink on, she takes a sponge and begins to scrub vigorously. She never meets my eyes.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” she says as she scrubs. “He doesn’t want me. Rory wants Prim. It was always supposed to be them. I’m just his friend and nothing can ever come out of that.”

“Uh…I married my best friend.” I put a hand on her shoulder. She stops and tosses the sponge. Rue looks down into the sink. “I know that everyone thinks that it should be Rory and Prim. But what if it isn’t them?”

The room becomes quiet and I wait as she contemplates my words. In a way, I feel guilty because it seems like I’ve made this happen. I was the one who wanted them to be friends. Rory isn’t a bad guy. He and Prim just didn’t work out. They have remained friends throughout all this.

I do see that Rue is suffering, though.

The door opens and Rory walks in with his guitar. The grin on his face drops when he sees her back to him, her shoulders hunched as she stares into the sink.

“Hey, Rory.” I greet him.

Rue hastily wipes her eyes and then turns to him with a smile. “Hey, Rory.”

“What’s wrong?” he asks her, concern in his voice.

“Nothing important,” she tells him.

“I’m working her too hard,” I say to him. “Why don’t you take a break, Rue?” She eyes me suspiciously but goes to where Rory sits.

I clean up the counter and grab a plate of cookies for them. After I place it on the table, I go back to my spot behind the counter.

“I’ve learned a new song,” he tells her and pulls out the sheet music. “When I heard it, I thought that your voice would be perfect for it.”

I’m surprised. I’ve never heard Rue sing at all. Rory begins the song, his fingers expertly strumming out the tune.

“Go ahead,” he says softly and he watches her as she looks at the sheet.

_“Be still my heart  
Lately it's mind is on its own   
It would go far and wide   
Just to be near you…“_

Rue’s voice is beautiful. For someone so young, she is pitch-perfect and her voice is rich. With the proper training, she could blow people away.

“It’s your turn,” she tells him.

“What?” Rory doesn’t realize how intensely he was staring at her. He looks at the page and then laughs. “Okay, but I’m not as good as you.”

_“Even the stars  
Shine a bit bright I've noticed   
When you're close to me…”_

Rory’s voice is melodic also but not like Rue’s. It’s like she’s been singing her whole life. They continue the song. Every once in a while, their eyes meet and then they shift back to the sheet in front of them. They don’t even notice that they have moved closer to one another.

When they finish the song, I give them a round of applause. Rue grins at me and takes a bow. Rory does the same with his guitar in hand.

“Well, I have to get going, but I’ll see you both at Prim’s birthday dinner next week,” he tells us.

After grabbing the sheet music from the table, he suddenly kisses Rue on the cheek. Rory realizes what he’s done and his cheeks turn crimson. Pulling back slowly, he looks at Rue for a moment. The light in his eyes is different. I know, just like I knew with Katniss, that the kiss has changed everything.

“We’ll see you next week,” I tell him and he nods before walking out quickly.

Rue goes and locks the door quickly. Then she turns to look at me, her eyes glowing.

“I’m in trouble,” she whispers guiltily.

++++++

“Thanks for inviting us,” Johanna says to me. We all sit in the living room of my parents’ house eating a three tier cake that Rue and I worked on a day ago. It is chocolate, per the birthday girl’s request.

Prim sits next to the coffee table along with Rue and Rory. Her two friends won’t look even look at one another. Katniss talks to Gale on the couch nearby. My parents sit in the loveseat. They don’t talk much, but look content to just watch everyone around them.

Rye and Marvel sit deep in conversation by the fireplace. Wheaton and Carrie are fussing over Rhea, who is being bounced in her father’s arms.

It is the last birthday that will be spent in this house. Perhaps the next birthday will be thrown in the hospice? I try not to think about it and focus on Johanna.

“No problem, Mrs. Hawthorne,” I reply and she grins. The diamond on her hand glints nicely even in the evening light. Their wedding is six months from now at St. Patrick’s Church, where Jo’s parents were married. Katniss will be the matron of honor and I, surprisingly, will be the best man.

Katniss meets my eyes and smiles. The plate in her hand almost empty, with only a small piece of her cake left.

“Did you want?” she asks, her fork held up with the piece already on it.

I nod. Katniss stands and walks over to where I lean against the entry arch. Holding the fork out, she feeds me carefully. Tonight, she is wearing a green maxi-dress and gold sandals, both courtesy of Carrie. The dress was too long for my petite sister-in-law and the sandals too big.

Her grey eyes glow and instinctively, I cup her cheek in my hand. Pulling her head gently, I kiss her softly and slowly. She reacts instantly, leaning into me.

“Whoa,” Johanna says next to me. We pull away and she is blushing. “That was pretty hot. Do you kiss like that all the time?” Gale guffaws in the background.

“No,” Prim proclaims. “They’re worse. I’ve lost valuable hours of sleep because of them.”

“Why don’t we open presents?” Katniss says before Prim could elaborate further.

While we love her honesty, Prim has no filter when it comes to appropriate conversations. I have a feeling that she would excel in politics, law, or some sort of position where she can talk or need to verbally assault someone.

“I’ll go first,” Katniss says. Rory stands quickly and goes behind the couch. He pulls out his guitar and hands it to Katniss. Going to Prim, she sits in front of her and puts the guitar strap over her chest.

Prim is grinning from ear to ear. Katniss turns to me. Though I’m surprised, I nod and the nervousness on her face dissipates. She nods back before turning to her sister.

Johanna turns to me. “Does she know how to play?”

I shrug with a grin. “Katniss always finds a way to surprise everyone.”

“I’m not an expert,” Katniss says to her. “Rory did what he could in one month.” She looks at her fingers to make sure that they are in the right position and looks to Rory who nods. “Dad used to sing this song to you when you would cry. He eventually taught me the words so I could sing it if he wasn’t around.” Her voice wavers slight at the last bit. “I hope that I could do him justice.”

She starts off and after a few chords begins to sing.

_“Isn't she lovely  
Isn't she wonderful  
Isn't she precious  
Less than one minute old  
I never thought through love we'd be  
Making one as lovely as she  
But isn't she lovely made from love…”_

“Katniss can sing?” Johanna asks me.

“She was in the choir,” Gale says to his fiancée. “I’ve never heard her sing by herself.”

“The day you came back from Washington, she sang for Finnick and Annie,” I tell them with a proud grin.

_“Isn't she pretty  
Truly the angel's best  
Boy, I'm so happy  
We have been heaven blessed  
I can't believe what God has done  
Through us he's given life to one  
But isn't she lovely made from love…”_

She stops and smiles self-consciously at Prim.

“That’s all I could do before it became too hard for me to learn,” she says. Removing the guitar, Rory takes it quickly from her. “Happy Birthday, Prim.”

Prim throws her arms around Katniss and sobs into her shoulder. “I loved it!” Katniss holds her tightly and I can see that she is trying to not fall apart. Prim is practically like a daughter to us, and it’s hard to see her grow up before our eyes.

“You have a beautiful voice,” Dad tells her. “Peeta never mentioned that.”

“Yes, and he was obsessed with you,” Mom jokes. Her face has some color and she looks over at my Dad. “Do you remember the Extreme song?”

“The one that he played over and over?” He replies and I feel my face heat up.

“You mean this one?” Rye says and begins to sing. “Saying ‘I love you’ is not the words I want to hear from you…”

“We’ve heard it enough times,” Wheaton tells him and looks over at me. “We could make our own single covering it.”

“Okay, whose turn is it to give Prim a present?” I interrupt before they can start creating names for their boy band.

“It’s our turn,” Dad says. “Prim, catch!” He tosses something into her hands.

She looks at the object. It’s a silver ‘P’. “A keychain?” she asks with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t forget this,” Rye says and hands her a box.

“And this,” Wheaton adds and Carrie gives her another box.

“One more thing,” I say and hand her a gift bag. “Don’t open mine yet.”

She opens them excitedly as Marvel stands up to record her with his iPhone. When she’s done, she looks over everything. A keychain, a stereo system and plush seat covers.

“Thanks everyone,” Prim says in an unsure voice. “I don’t have a car though.”

“Then whose car is in the driveway?” Mom asks, a grin wide on her face.

“Open the bag,” I say and she pulls out a pair of keys. Her eyes widen.

“AHH!” The scream from Prim is so loud that everyone covers their ears and Rhea bursts into tears.

She jumps from the floor and runs out of the house. Rory pulls Rue up and they run after her, hand-in-hand.

“When did that happen?” Katniss asks me as she stands up.

I watch Dad lift Mom from her seat. She looks so happy despite everything.

“I feel like it’s my fault,” I tell Katniss as we walk to the driveway. Rye and Marvel are already outside since they ran after Prim to record her reaction. “I made Rue talk to Rory in a way. I felt bad when they first broke up, so I pushed her to talk to him.”

“You didn’t know they were going to like each other,” she says. “It’s going to be hard on Prim when she finds out.”

“They’re not together yet, but there is definitely something there.”

My parents follow us out into the driveway to join everyone else. Prim is running around the electric blue Prius that is now hers.

My parents approached Katniss and I about it two months ago. They thought that it would be better for her to take her driver’s test in her own car so that she could familiarize herself with it.

When she spots my parents, she rushes over to them. Mom has my Dad put her down and with his help, she stands. Prim slows down in front of them and I see that tears are running down her flushed face.

“Thank you,” she says softly and my parents enfold in their arms. “I love you both.”

I feel Katniss squeeze my hand and I turn to her.

“We have a sixteen year old,” I say.

“I think we’ve done pretty well,” she replies jokingly.

“Mom!” We turn at Wheaton’s panicked voice.

It happens so quickly that I don’t even realize what’s happening. Mom is on the ground with my Dad kneeling by her. Carrie is on the other side, taking off her sweater to put it under my Mom’s head. She grips my Mom’s jaw and tilts her head up.

“She’s seizing!” Carrie shouts. “Call 911!”

Marvel is already on the phone with a dispatcher. I can hear him tell them how long the seizure has been happening. He has an arm around Rye, who is sobbing into his chest.

In the background, I can hear the sirens. Prim is crying in Rue’s arms while Rory watches over the two. Johanna and Gale are helping my Dad up, as Carrie has everything under control. I see that his hand is bleeding. He must have tried to stop Mom from hitting the ground. I quickly realize that the impact of her body hitting the concrete must have injured his hand in the process.

Mom has stopped her movements, but she is so still. I can’t even tell if she’s breathing.

I turn to look at Katniss, who looks pale. She is frozen in place as well.

The ambulance arrives and they quickly get to work. My Dad talks to them about her treatment and diagnosis.

“She wanted to wait until after our little girl’s birthday to enter the hospice,” he explains to the paramedic while in tears. Prim goes to him and she hugs him tightly.

My mom is strapped into the portable bed and they put her into the ambulance. Wheaton and Carrie are going with them, since they know the most about Mom’s health. They give Rhea to Rye and he holds her carefully. Marvel holds my brother up.

As the door closes to the ambulance, I take one last look at Mom. She is still not awake.

“Now do you think it was the right decision?” Katniss asks softly.

I realize after a moment that she is talking about Mom going to a hospice. I suddenly realize that I was in denial about how sick Mom was and how much help she needed. I think of her smiling face from just moments ago when she was hugging Prim. That vision of her and seeing her in the ambulance now just don’t connect.

I don’t have an answer for her.

Instead, I pull Katniss close and we watch the ambulance drive away, taking my Mom from us.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So there is a lot going on in this chapter and I realize this. All I can say is--sorry.

There is not much going on in terms of location. The local airport is San Francisco International Airport (SFO) which is actually in South San Francisco and is 20 minutes away from the city.

Genentech is a biotech company that is located in South San Francisco in a section of the city called Oyster Point. My sister-in-law is a supervisor there.

The California Academy of Sciences is a museum in Golden Gate Park. It is the city’s Natural History museum and was designed by Renzo Piano who also designed the Pompidou museum in Paris.

I love a good bonding moment between the Mellark brothers. Don’t you?

Rye mentions losing a game to El Camino. El Camino High School is a school in San Bruno which is 30 minutes from San Francisco. They were actually my high school’s rivals.

Can anyone guess where the name Tina Nguyen came from? Hint: Think the 90’s.

So did anyone realize that Glimmer was into Katniss? Read over the last chapter and their interaction together. Blackthorn, which Cato mentions, is a bar on Irving Street in the Sunset District.

Also, did anyone guess the other ship in this chapter? I think only one person caught it. It was one that I was conflicted about.

The last question that Katniss asks is a question that my sister asked me during a bad period in our family. I never forgot it because I never had an answer.

Songs:

“We Could Be in Love” sung by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane

“Isn’t She Lovely?” sung by Stevie Wonder

Please send all comments to JLaLaFics@yahoo.com or send a message/ask to my Tumblr.

Chapter Seventeen from Katniss’s POV: Changes all around.


	18. Part Four: Katniss

Thank you for all your support. Please read the author’s notes as I will be announcing my schedule for the next two weeks.

Thank you to Chelzie for being a wonderful beta and advisor.

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

Baby mine, don't you cry.  
Baby mine, dry your eyes.  
Rest your head close to my heart,  
never to part, baby of mine.

-Betty Noyes (Baby Mine)

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Four, Chapter Seventeen: Katniss

_Three Weeks Later_

Pregnant. I’m pregnant.

“Katniss, how could you forget your appointment?” Annie asks me as I sit on the examination table. “You know that if you forget just once then there’s always a chance of this happening.”

Reaching down and grabbing my bag, I pull out my phone and look through the past few weeks. I spot the date that my appointment was supposed to be on.

There are a number of factors that caused me to forget this appointment. The first one being that it was the day before Peeta left for New York. My paper about the Academy was due the day of his departure and the following Friday was the dreaded fundraiser for Snow.

And I had also forgotten to set a reminder alarm for the appointment.

That’s not going to fucking help me now.

I now understand the moodiness, the sore breasts, the constant feeling of being sick and the voracious appetite for sex. Also the lack of a period.

“I know,” I reply and I feel my eyes water. Damn tears. “This can’t be happening. I can’t be a mother.”

“Calm down, Katniss,” Annie says firmly. She smiles softly. “Pregnancy is not disease. “

“Might as well be.”

“Why don’t we take a look and then we can talk about your options?” she suggests and goes to the back of the room. She pulls along a large machine with a screen. “We’ll do a sonogram and we can get a look at Baby Mellark.”

I remain silent. She sees my expressionless face and sighs.

“Lay back, Katniss,” she instructs. Instinctively, I place my feet on the stirrups for her.

How am I going to tell Peeta? I know he’ll be happy and so would Prim. The whole family would be happy, I’m sure of it.

But what about me? I don’t feel anything.

“Is this going to hurt?” I ask. She is rolling a covering over a long probe. “Is that even going to fit down there?”

Annie laughs as she begins setting up the machine. “It will fit. Trust me.” She takes the probe from the holder. “Take a deep breath.” I do as she says and she inserts the probe in.

It’s not uncomfortable, but there are other things that I prefer down there.

That’s how I got in this mess in the first place.

“Okay.” She looks at the screen. “Where are you, little one?” She moves it around inside me. “Oh! There it is.” I turn quickly and look at the screen. There is nothing but white and black shapes.

“I don’t see it,” I tell her.

“It is still very small. I would say from the size about six weeks,” she tells me. Annie makes two small marks in-between a white blip. “You see where I’ve put these cursors?” I nod, dumbstruck. “There is your baby.”

Six weeks would put its conception right before Peeta left for New York. He really gave me one hell of a going away present.

I sit up and squint at the white. “Oh.”

“Let me print a picture out,” Annie tells me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m pregnant.”

She raises her eyebrows. “I think we’ve already established that.” Removing the probe, she slips off the cover and tosses it in the trash bin next to her, along with the gloves she wears. Taking the picture from the printer, she hands it to me. “Your baby.”

I take the photo and I stare at the white spot. The white bean that is our baby.

Then I start crying. Not only am I crying, I am crying loudly. I’m crying so hard that at one point I am gasping for air. The sounds of my sobs are amplified in the small room.

I feel my future fall away in front of me. I also realize that Snow’s request for a child will be fulfilled.

Annie rubs my back. “Why don’t you talk this over with Peeta?”

I look up at her panicked. “I can’t. Not right now,” I tell her and she looks at me worriedly. “Please don’t tell him.”

“You’re my patient and there is such a thing as confidentiality,” she replies. “You should talk to him soon, however, while you have options.”

“Okay.” My voice sounds hollow.

Annie pulls me into a hug. “Oh, Katniss,” she says tenderly. “This is not the end of the world.”

When I pull away from her, a vision of me, Peeta, and our baby attending a Snow function enters my mind. I see the baby wearing a ‘SNOW for Mayor’ onesie. I see myself living the life of an obedient little “Snow” wife.

Maybe it’s my overactive hormones and imagination, but this thought makes my stomach churn. I heave into the trash that Annie threw her gloves into.

When I sit back, I look at her and then at the photo again.

Little bean, what am I going to do with you?

++++++

When Peeta comes to pick me up, I’m still staring at the photo. I quickly put it in a small pocket inside my wallet. I stand up and a sudden feeling of sickness attacks me. This can’t be happening now. I can do this. It is mind over matter. I swallow the bile rising in the back of my throat.

Peeta grins as I walk towards him. “Get out of my dreams, get into my car,” he says to me from the driver’s seat.

“Okay, Billy Ocean,” I say as I open the door and hop into the passenger’s seat. “What made you think of that song?”

He shrugs and then looks at me with joking eyes. “Just seemed like the appropriate thing to say.”

I give him a kiss. Though he is cracking jokes, Peeta looks exhausted. Since Mom is getting close to the end, the laughter has lessened at lot at home. The dark circles are prominent on his pale face.

“How was your appointment?” he asks.

I look out the window to hide the lie that is probably evident on my face. “Oh, you know--the usual.”

“I know how much you hate things getting put into you during these appointments,” he replies as he starts driving.

The photo in my wallet is calling out to me. ‘Show him’, it’s telling me.

“You have no idea,” I say after a moment.

“Are you hungry?” he asks. My stomach growls in response and Peeta chuckles. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

“Do you know where I can get a mini-donut?” I say suddenly. He turns to me and raises his eyebrows.

“I know somewhere,” he tells me slowly. I feel like I have the word ‘pregnant’ stamped on my forehead. “So you just want a donut?”

“A mini-donut.” It has to be a mini-donut, too, and the thought of not having it almost brings tears to my eyes.

How could I have not noticed that I was knocked up? I am nearly catatonic at the thought of not getting this singular piece of food.

“Okay, mini-donuts then.” He takes my hand, using his other hand to control the steering wheel. Peeta is quiet for a moment. “Are we still going to see Mom tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course,” I reply and kiss the top of his hand. “How are you doing? You’ve been silent about your Mom.”

Lately, Peeta has been withdrawn and it can be difficult because I am a withdrawn person as well. That leads to many silent moments between us. I don’t really mind, but seeing Peeta like this worries me. He is hurting inside. I feel defenseless to stop the growing darkness that is enveloping our family.

Would the little bean change this?

“Just a lot of thinking,” he says. “It doesn’t seem real.” His voice wavers and I scoot closer to him. “We’re just waiting now, aren’t we?”

I nod slowly. “The hopeless feeling is normal,” I tell him. “Remember what the counselor said?”

Our family attended counseling at the hospice. The last time we had a session, Rye cried so hard that they had to sedate him. Poor Marvel, he looked exactly like I felt. Lost. He could only hold Rye until the drugs had set in.

Peeta’s eyes remain on the road and I notice that we are close to Pier 39, driving through an alleyway. Since it is a weekday, he easily finds parking in the alley so we don’t have to use the garage, which is really expensive. I get out of the car and I notice that it is freezing.

San Francisco weather is a tricky bitch. The sun is shining but it is nippy.

“Damn this weather,” I say.

Peeta goes to his trunk and retrieves a grey hoodie. “This is yours. You left it in here last week and I keep on forgetting it.” He holds it out and I grab it from him greedily.

It is a fitted hoodie that Prim got for me when her class took a trip to the LucasArts campus two months ago. I put it on and zip it up. It goes up over my stomach easily but when I try to zip it up over my chest—it won’t go up.

“You okay there?” Peeta asks me as he watches me closely.

I blush. “Prim must have bought this with the intention of borrowing it because it is smaller than I thought.”

This thing was loose two months ago.

“Just leave it unzipped,” he replies and I agree. Peeta is staring at me or more specifically, he is staring at my chest. I realize it is because the black tank top that I wear displays the breasts that I have suddenly gained. It’s not too much of a change. It just seems like I bought a push up bra. “You seem—different?”

I laugh. “Just the perks of new underwear, I guess.” Taking his hand, we walk to the main street and I see the Aquarium of the Bay across from us. Pier 39 is to the left.

“I haven’t been here in awhile,” he says to me. “Maybe years, in fact. This is the only place that I know of that has them and what my girl wants, my girl gets.”

Peeta smiles at me and I feel instantly cheered by his happiness. Sometimes I don’t realize how much he has changed my life. How he saved me. He would love a child wholeheartedly. Not like me, I’m no good at loving anyone. I’ve made enough mistakes with Peeta and sometimes I even feel the same with Prim.

“Thanks.” While we wait for the light to change, I pull him to me so that our lips can meet in a kiss. He tastes like icing and I smile against his lips.

Peeta pulls away. “The light changed. We better go.”

Hand in hand, we jog across the street and pass the aquarium. A saxophonist plays in front of Pier 39 as a small ground gathers to watch. My mouth waters as we pass by a restaurant that is making waffle cones.

My husband looks around and his face is lit up. As we walk further into the pier and look around the shops lined along it, the more excited we become.

“We should bring Prim here,” he says to me.

“Yes and Be-“ I stop midway and he turns to me. “—and Rhea. When she’s older.”

I almost said Bean. I need to be careful.

My hand reaches into my bag for my wallet. Where the picture is.

“Oh, there it is!” My hand is out of the bag. He leads me to an ordering window and I see the machine making the small donuts. Peeta looks up at the menu. “How many?”

I look up at the menu to distract myself. I’m such a chicken.

“Can we get the 24 piece?” I ask the cashier and she nods quickly. I turn to Peeta who is staring at me, his eyes amused. “Might as well. When are we ever going to come back?”

“True. Did you want something to drink? Maybe a giant vat of coffee?” I shake my head quickly. “No coffee? It is practically your lifeline.”

“Just water,” I reply casually.

Why don’t I have the coffee? Because pregnant women shouldn’t have coffee.

We wait in the plastic seats in front of the window and I look around. Across from us is a small farmers market. I turn to Peeta and notice that his eyes are glazed over. He is watching a young mother wipe a little boy’s face. The kid had ice cream smeared all over himself. He is blond and blue eyed, just like my husband.

“Miss?”

I rush to the window. The server hands me a plastic bucket with a mountain of little donuts in it, along with a bottle of water. Walking back to Peeta, I place a hand on his shoulder to shake him out of his train of thought. He looks so lost and I wonder if he sees that it’s the same way I’m feeling.

Nipping on his ear, I bring him back to reality. Peeta gives me a small smile and then sees the bucket.

“That’s a lot of mini-donuts.”

“Well I’m hungry,” I reply. “My appetite always comes back after the awkward appointments. Do you want to go sit along the water?”

Peeta nods and gets up. He holds out his hand and I take it so we can walk. Finding a corridor, we go through it and find ourselves behind the buildings where the Bay is in front of us. Alcatraz peeks through the fog and we settle on a wooden bench, staring out at the water.

The smell of the sea stings my nose. I swallow the feelings of nausea and guilt by stuffing a mini-donut into my mouth.

‘Tell him’, the voice in my head says. It sounds like my Mom.

I suddenly miss her. She would know what to do. On the other hand, if she was here, I probably wouldn’t be married and in this predicament.

“Katniss?” I turn to Peeta, who is trying not to laugh. “You’ve eaten half the bucket.”

I look down and realize that he is right. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. Did you want one?”

Peeta takes one. “I’d better eat at least one,” he says and I glare at him. “I’m glad that you’re eating. You haven’t been lately. Since Mom’s been in the hospice, actually.” He eats the donut.

Taking his hand, I focus on the sugary tips of his thumb and index fingers. I suck them both and he groans in pleasure.

“This isn’t a sexual thing,” I tell him.

He laughs, though I can tell that he’s turned on. “Then what is it?”

“I forgot to get napkins.” Peeta laughs again and I put my head on his shoulder. “You haven’t been laughing lately. It’s nice to hear.”

He quiets immediately. “It doesn’t seem right when she’s there.” Peeta puts an arm around me and I move closer to him. “She’s barely awake.”

Constant morphine doses leave Mom asleep most of the time. When she is awake, she’s incoherent most of the time, according to Dad. The doctors say that the seizure occurred as a result of the cancer spreading, and that there’s a chance it will happen again.

All her treatment is palliative now. Her DNR form was signed months ago in front of Dad and Carrie as her witnesses. When it happens, we won’t stop it. We let her go.

None of us are ready.

I look over at his hunched form. “You can cry if you want. I won’t tell anyone.” I tell him what he told me weeks ago. He didn’t know it, but it meant a lot for him to tell me this.

Peeta doesn’t say anything. He looks out at the Bay. I wait.

When I look over after a minute, I see that Peeta is crying. His head is bent, elbows resting on his thighs as he leans forward. I see his teardrops hit the concrete and disappear on the damp ground. He is silent the whole time.

All I can do is rub his back.

Peeta’s phone rings and when he pulls it out, his eyes widen. Turning to me, he gives me a watery smile and gets up. “I have to get this.”

He walks a few paces away and I watch him. I try not to feel suspicious. Peeta has never given me any reason not to trust him. There is something about the way he is talking into the phone. He is walking back and forth as he speaks to the person on the other end.

My phone rings and I look at the number. It is a 650 area code. I pick it up. “Hello?”

“This is Anne from Beetee Consulting. May I speak to Katniss Mellark?”

I stand up. “This is she.”

“I am calling in regards to your interview for the internship,” she informs. “We would like offer you the position. This goes towards your college credit and upon graduation, we will consider you an employee of the company.”

“Wow.” I’m in shock. This is a dream position. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I don’t hesitate to answer her. “I accept.”

“Wonderful!” Anne confirms my address to send me the packet. There is no pay, but the position is good for the experience. “Congratulations, Katniss, and we will see you in a month.”

A month. Bean will be fully formed by then.

I look over to my bag and walk back to it. I should tell him. We need to make a decision, though I already know Peeta’s.

I’m not sure about mine.

“Who was that?” I turn to see Peeta next to me.

I can’t stop myself from smiling. “It was Beetee Consulting. I got the internship and when I graduate, a position with the company.”

Peeta lifts me off my feet and the grin on his face is magnificent. “Congratulations!” He kisses me and everything else is forgotten.

Including our bean.

++++++

That is until the next morning.

Peeta has already gone to the bakery when I get sick. It happens suddenly and I throw myself in the bathroom. I don’t even reach the toilet and instead retch into the sink. The vomiting seems endless and my throat is on fire by the time I’m finished. I turn on the sink to wash it away.

While the sink runs, I look at myself in the mirror. I can’t do this. I can’t be a mother. I just got the opportunity of the lifetime with Beetee. I’m going to throw all my work away for something I’m not even sure I want?

“You’re a mess,” I say to my reflection. “How can you take care of a baby? You never wanted any of this. You never wanted to get married. You never wanted children. Have you completely forgotten who you are?”

My reflection doesn’t respond. Instead, I only see a girl with a flushed face and smeared makeup.

Wiping the smeared eyeliner under my eyes, I make sure that the sink is completely clean and open the door.

There stands Prim, backpack in hand and a look of shock on her face. We stare at one another.

“You’re pregnant,” she states.

“You’re going to be late for school,” I say and walk past her.

She doesn’t understand the concept of being brushed off and follows me to the kitchen. I grab a mug and go to the coffee maker.

“You shouldn’t have coffee,” Prim says.

I turn to her, irritated. “It’s decaf, okay?”

“Why are you mad?” she asks me and sits at the table. “Does Peeta not want the baby?”

“No, it’s not him who doesn’t want it.” Prim digests my words and then looks at me.

“You don’t want the baby?” Her eyes are sad. “Why?”

“I’m not ready,” I tell her.

“When is anyone ever ready, Katniss?” Prim’s eyes bore into mine. “Don’t you think we have lost enough?” She is angry and it is rare. “You are so fucking selfish, Katniss.”

“You watch your mouth, Prim,” I reply, suddenly upset. “This is not your decision and I haven’t made one yet. Go to school.”

“You haven’t told Peeta, right?” I don’t say anything and it confirms her question. “You’re just going to get rid of your baby and then walk around like nothing happened?”

“The subject is closed, Prim. Go to school.”

“I’m going to tell him. It’s not fair that you’ve made the decision for him!” Prim knows all the right buttons to push.

“No, you’re going to keep your mouth shut because you don’t understand,” I tell her. “You don’t understand the sacrifices that are made to raise a child!”

I don’t even realize what I just said to her.

Her lips are trembling. “I’m sorry that I was such a burden to you,” she replies and walks out of the kitchen.

I jump from my seat to go after her. She is about to open the front door when I get to the living room.

“Prim!” She turns to me. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Sure,” she says, sarcasm heavy in her voice. “As soon as I’m eighteen, I’m out of here. Your burden will be gone.” Prim turns to the door and then looks back at me. “You are making a mistake. When he finds out, he is going to be hurt and you will have destroyed your marriage.”

“Prim—“

“I’m going. I’ll see you at Mom’s later.” She opens the door just as Peeta is going to put the key into the lock.

“Prim! Aren’t you supposed to be at school?” he asks her.

She looks back at me, scoffs and walks past him, ignoring his question. I don’t go after her and moments later, I hear her drive off.

“What happened?” he asks me.

I shake my head. “Nothing.” I swallow back the need to cry. “What happened?”

“I was going to tell you that I have a meeting with one of our delivery managers so I won’t make it to Mom’s tonight,” he says. “I would’ve canceled, but he’s coming in from Pleasanton so I didn’t want to flake. I already told my Dad.”

I cross my arms. “Fine.” I turn to go upstairs and get ready for class.

Peeta had crossed the room before I can even get to the stairs. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I tell him. “I’m tired and I have to get ready for class.”

“It’s not just that. Prim is pissed off at you,” he replies. “Why?”

“She wanted to go out to this party,” I tell him. “I didn’t think that it sounded like a good idea so I said no and she got mad.”

Peeta kisses my forehead. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

I shake my head. “Sisters fight all the time,” I say, even when the tears begin to form. “We’ll make up.”

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll see you when you get back from Mom’s. Give her a kiss for me.”

“I will.”

Peeta walks to the door and after a final smile, he is gone.

Going upstairs, I sit on the bed and I let myself cry. This has been a really shitty morning.

++++++

I take the MUNI to the hospice. The hospice is in one of the campuses that belong to California Pacific Medical Center. From school, it is about a thirty minute ride and when I finally arrive on the right floor, I am exhausted.

The bean was giving me trouble. In one of my classes, I kept on leaving to use the restroom because someone had doused themselves in Victoria’s Secret body spray.

When I enter the room, Prim is already there, avoiding my gaze. Carrie is sitting next to her with Rhea in her arms.

“Hey, Katniss,” Carrie greets me. Prim looks up at me. She is still upset.

I look over at Mom, who remains asleep and unmoving. The last few weeks have been like this. Carrie is here the most because she isn’t working right now. Most of her work is done via Skype with her Dad, who is in Manila right now.

“How is she today?” I ask and go to sit by Mom’s bed. Her chest rises and falls slowly. Her head is wrapped with a Hermes scarf and she is wearing a dark blue cardigan over her gown.

“She woke up a little today,” my sister-in-law says, but her eyes are downcast. “It is getting harder and harder to wake her up.” Carrie yawns. “Wheaton just dropped off Rhea so he could go grocery shopping, then he’s going to pick me up.”

“You need to get some sleep,” I reply. “If you want, I can stay over next Friday night.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, Cinna gave me the weekend off,” I tell her. “You need to sleep on a regular bed and not a cot.”

Dad and Carrie sleep at the hospice, though it’s not actually allowed. The cot was self-purchased and the staff doesn’t mention it.

“Katniss!” I turn to see Malou, Mom’s nurse, coming into the room. “How are you, baby?” I stand and give her a hug.

We have been lucky in finding such great nurses. First Evelyn, who was Peeta’s nurse, now Malou, who just happens to be her sister and was recommended by her. She looks like Evelyn except that she is taller.

After taking her stethoscope and checking on Mom’s breathing patterns, she sits next to me.

“Your Mama’s breathing is getting slower,” she tells us seriously. “It is mostly due to the morphine. Did Carrie tell you what happened?”

I look up at Carrie who is blushing. “She called me another name.”

“What name?”

“She thought I was Wheaton’s first wife.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” she replies, but gives me an easy smile. I know that she’s trying to not be hurt. “It’s okay.” Rhea fusses in her arms and Carrie adjusts herself so that she can cradle her daughter.

I see this all the time but I watch her carefully. I watch how she makes sure that Rhea’s head is supported in the crook of her arm and how with her other hand she grabs a blanket from her purse. It is a soft pink quilt that Mom gave her for the baby shower. Carrie puts it over Rhea and rocks her slowly humming. Then she begins to sing softly.

_“Tulog na aking mahal  
Takot ay kalimuta  
‘Di kialan man iiwan…”_

“Do you understand what she is saying?” Malou asks me and I shake my head. “She said ‘Sleep now, my love, forget about your fears, for I will never leave you, never’.”

I nod as I listen to her sing and there is something in me that aches as I witness the bond between mother and child. Rhea snuggles closer to Carrie and I wonder if Bean would do that with me. What songs would I sing?

_“Araw ay sisikat din  
Magwawakas din ang dilim  
Liwanag ay masisilayan din  
Bukas ay salubungin…”_

“What did she just say?” I whisper to Malou.

“She said ‘The sun will soon shine, the darkness will come to an end, and we will again revel in the light, welcoming another day’.”

I watch and when she is finished, Rhea is out. Carrie smiles and it seems like no other accomplishment matters as much as seeing her daughter sound asleep. Carrie has been through a lot, in her own life and being married to Wheaton. Yet, she somehow manages to make everything seem inconsequential when she is with Rhea.

Sitting in the hospice surrounded by death, my choice is clear.

Wheaton walks in quietly. “Hey guys,” he greets us and then he goes over to Carrie. Kissing her, he picks up Rhea while she gets her bag along with Rhea’s baby bag.

He goes over to Malou and they discuss Mom’s day. She has not woken up the whole time.

My eyes meet Prim’s. She is looking at me curiously.

“It’s getting late,” Wheaton tells us. “You should be getting home. We’ll walk you to your car.”

I nod wordlessly and go over to Mom to give her a kiss on her forehead.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to stay longer,” I say to her. “But I’ll be sleeping over next Friday.”

Prim goes to Mom and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She whispers in her ear before she joins me by the door.

“I will call you guys if there are any changes,” Malou assures Prim and me. “Goodnight ladies.”

We walk into the hallway where Carrie and Wheaton wait for us. The rest of the ward is silent. We pass a room and our attention is caught when we hear crying.

There is a family inside and they encircle a bed. The crying comes from an older woman sitting next to the bed. The feet of the person are unmoving and I know that whoever is in the bed is gone.

“Let’s give them their privacy,” Wheaton says and leads us to the elevator.

When we get into the elevator, it is silent. We are wrapped up in our thoughts and the image of the family rests in our minds.

Because we know that soon that will be us.

++++++

We sit in Prim’s car. I will be driving because after six in the evening, the law doesn’t allow her to. I sit in the driver’s seat and after a moment I turn to look at her. She is crying.

“I’m sorry, Katniss,” she says as the tears fall down her face. “I didn’t mean to say all those things.”

“Oh sweetie, I know.”

She sobs into her hands and I rub her back.

“I wanted to tell you something,” I say to her. Prim looks up at me with watery eyes. “I’ve decided to keep the baby.” My mouth spreads into a grin. “You’re going to be an Aunt.”

Prim sobs harder.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. Prim looks at me and though her face is streaked, the smile on her face is huge.

“I’m just really happy,” she says between her crying jag and pulls me in for a hug. “You’re going to be a great mother.”

“You have to wait until I tell Peeta to say anything else, okay?”

“I won’t.”

“Don’t mention it to him until we tell you together,” I instruct her. “I think it would hurt his feelings to know that he wasn’t the first to know.”

“Of course,” she replies. “I’m so excited. You’re going to be a Mom and Peeta is going to be a Daddy.”

I reach for my purse which is in-between us and pull out my wallet. Opening the secret pocket, I pull out the sonogram photo and hold it out to her.

She turns on the light on the car ceiling and takes it. “Ohmigod. It’s so tiny.”

“Annie says that it’s about six weeks old,” I tell her.

“I’m going to be the best Aunt,” she promises.

“I know.” Prim hands me the photo and I place it back into my wallet.

She looks over at me. “I really am sorry.”

“Oh Prim, this was bound to happen eventually. But we’re family, we forgive each other,” I say. I ruffle the top of her head. “I’m really tired, so let’s get going.”

She nods and I start the car. We drive through the city and she sings along with the radio quietly. When we are in North Beach driving past St. Peter and Paul’s, she interrupts the silence.

“Why did you decide to keep the baby?”

We are at a stoplight. As I look over at her, Prim’s eyes glitter in the dark. I hope Bean has blue eyes.

“We’ve lost too much to death,” I tell her. “I choose life, I choose Bean.”

“Bean?”

“It’s what I call it,” I reply.

She giggles. “Cute, you’ve already named it. That should’ve told you something right away.”

The light turns green so we continue on. “What do you mean?”

“Why would you bother to even name the baby if you weren’t planning to have it?”

I shrug. “Sometimes, I don’t know why I do the things I do.” I make a turn into the so that we are traveling through the dark roads of the Presidio. “My instincts suck. I want Bean but I’m not like Carrie, so maybe I won’t be a good mother.”

“Carrie is a good mother, but you’re going to be a good one, too,” she tells me. “Maybe you won’t be perfect at first but you’ll develop your own style. I think you’ve done pretty well with your first one.”

“Huh?”

“Hellooo…” She points to herself. “You didn’t have to do the things you did, but you did them for me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

“It was never about having to repay me,” I tell her. We are in Seacliff. Passing Wheaton and Carrie’s house, I can see that their lights are still on. “I knew my decision already. I wasn’t going to lose you.”

“And you think you don’t have motherly instincts? Sometimes I know you better than I know myself, Sis.”

I don’t reply and we spend the rest of the trip in silence. When we arrive, I see that Peeta hasn’t returned. Prim drags herself out of her car and opens the door for us.

I check my phone. Peeta isn’t home yet. No text message, no missed calls.

My exhaustion overrides my suspicion and I walk up the steps to our house. Inside, Prim is already in her room. I can hear the music playing from above. I work my way up the stairs and into our room.

Should I call? I shake my head. “Get it together, loser.” I change quickly and then throw myself into our bed.

I let myself fall into a restless sleep, dreaming of the quietness of the hospice and images of Bean.

The weight of someone on the bed awakens me and I see that it is Peeta. He sits at the end of the bed with his head in his hands. I shift and he turns to me.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, a slight slur on his voice. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

I look over at clock. “It’s nearly two in the morning.” Sitting up, I glare at him. “Where the hell were you?”

“At a bar with some of my friends,” he says to me. “I ran into them after the meeting and joined them for a drink.”

“Or five drinks?” I get up so I can go over to him. His eyes are bloodshot and his hair is unkempt. I can smell the bar on him. “You should’ve just come home.” I kneel before him and unravel his tie. He watches me quietly as I throw his tie to the floor and begin to unbutton his shirt.

“I just wanted to have fun,” he replies, his voice low. “For once, I just wanted to be a regular college student.” I still my movements. “One that doesn’t have to run a business or see his Mom rot away in a hospice. One that doesn’t have responsibilities.”

I continue to unbutton his shirt after a moment and push it off his shoulders. He removes it on his own.

“I’m sorry that you feel so burdened,” I say bitterly as I stand. “I didn’t help matters.”

“No, no…” He falls to his knees before me slowly. Peeta wraps his arms around my lower half. “I love you so much. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He kisses the spot where my mound is.

One of his hands winds under the long shirt I wear and he pulls my panties gently down my legs. Pushing the shirt up, he exposes my thighs, which are positioned slightly apart. He kisses the inside of each and instinctively, I move them apart even more.

“I’m fucking nothing without you,” he tells me. I run a hand through his hair and he groans. “Don’t leave me.”

“Never.”

He puts his mouth on me and I almost buckle under the pleasure. He starts right away at my clit then runs his tongue downwards. After penetrating me roughly with his tongue, he then drags it up against my slit and again to my nub.

Lifting one my legs over his shoulders, he lets me ride his face and the feeling of his mouth on me is so intense. I feel my insides tighten and I cry out softly, letting my body relax from the orgasm. The fire in-between my legs has not been extinguished, and I see that Peeta is also in need of some sort of release. I sit in the corner that he occupied as he stands before me.

Unbuttoning his pants, I yank them down along with his boxers. Taking a step forward, he is naked and erect before me. I lay back and he is over me and in me immediately.

This is not lovemaking. This is fucking. Though my body responds, I suddenly feel empty. Peeta, in his drunken state, is no longer with me. He moves roughly and quickly as I lay under him.

Within seconds, he comes. His body slumps over mine and I wait for his breathing to calm. Carefully, I move from under him, helping him stand so I can lead him to his side of the bed. I make sure that he is laying on his side and then cover him with a blanket.

Walking out the room, I go to the bathroom and open the medicine cabinet. I grab the two aspirins from its container and then fill a Dixie cup with water. I go back to the bedroom and place it on his side table. He is going to need them tomorrow morning.

I go back to the bathroom and throw my shirt off. Turning on the shower, I walk into it not caring that the water is cold.

I drench myself in the icy water and I can still feel the hot tears falling from my face.

My hands find graze over my abdomen. “Bean.” I look down at my flat stomach. “I’m sorry that I’m not going to be a very good mother.” I choke back a sob. “But shit, I’m going to try. Wait, I’m not supposed to curse, right?”

The water warms and I feel the ache in my body subside.

I look down again at my stomach.

“Well, you’re not out yet, so I think it will be okay. I have enough time to stop the cursing—and tell your father.”

++++++

“Are you going to be okay?” Peeta asks me as we sit in the room.

His mother sleeps soundly on her bed. I sit on the cot prepared for me. Peeta sits in a chair next to me. He has apologized for his behavior the night that I decided that I would keep Bean. He remains in the dark about my pregnancy.

Part of it is because I am angry at his behavior. The other part is because I feel guilty. In his drunken state, he reminded me that he is barely twenty-one. How can I bring a baby into the equation?

My packet from Beetee Consulting had also arrived and I almost picked up the phone to decline the internship when Prim stopped me.

“Having Bean shouldn’t stop you from achieving what you want,” she told me as she took the phone from my hand. “You have help. You have me.”

So Bean remains my blessing and my burden. Mine alone.

“I’ll be fine,” I say and smile. Peeta watches me closely.

“You’re still mad,” he states and runs a hand through my hair. “I said I was sorry. I won’t drink anymore, not like that. Never again.”

“You can do what you want,” I reply tersely.

“I’m trying to apologize!” His eyes show his hurt. “Tell me what to do to make us better.” He sits next to me and takes my hands in his.

Bean would want me to forgive Peeta. It’s funny how my perspective has changed so quickly. Everything for Bean, only for Bean.

I kiss him softly. “You go home and get some rest.” He nods. I can’t tell him here. Not in this room where Mom is dying in front of us.

She hasn’t woken up since Wednesday.

Peeta nods and taking my face in his hands, he kisses me again. I lean into him and close my eyes. When he pulls away resting his forehead against mine, my eyes remain closed.

“I love you, Katniss Mellark.”

I smile because the joy of being his wife has not faded for me. Not by a long shot.

“Go home and make sure that Prim doesn’t stay up too late,” I say.

“Rue is sleeping over, so I doubt I’ll be able to sleep with all the giggling next door,” he replies with a smile. “I have work to do anyway.”

“Don’t work too hard.”

He nods, then turns to his Mom and gently kisses her forehead. “I love you, Mom.”

I bite my lip to stop my emotions from getting the best of me. He looks over at me and nods before leaving.

The night is quiet. Malou comes to check in on her and also checks her catheter. Her body is slowly relaxing, so her fluids are leaving her body steadily.

The lights are off in the room when she wakes up.

“It’s so dark, so dark…”

I sit up from the cot and go to her. The moonlight peeks through the blinds and I can see that she is holding her hands in front of her face.

“So dark, so dark…” Mom is moving her hands back and forth. I take one of her hands and she turns to me. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Katniss.”

“Who’s Katniss?” Her eyes are confused. She doesn’t remember me.

“I’m Peeta’s wife,” I croak out.

“Peeta?” She doesn’t remember him either. How can I tell him that she doesn’t know him anymore? “Why is it so dark?”

“The lights are off.” I reach for the remote on the bed and turn on the light in the back of her bed. “There.”

She lets go of my hand and begins moving them back and forth again.

“So dark, so dark…”

I realize that she is blind. The cancer has reached her optic nerve.

I cover my mouth to stop her from hearing the sobs that are coming out of my mouth. She is dying in front of me. My free hand frantically finds the remote again and I press the nurse’s call button.

I wait and I watch her move her hands in front of her, over and over.

The whole time I cover my mouth. I cover my crying. I cry so hard that I feel vomit rising in my throat.

Malou bursts in and sees me, then looks at Mom. She reaches into her front pocket and takes out a vial. Grabbing the covered syringe in her other pocket, she plunges the vial to fill the syringe. After she checks for air bubbles, she goes to the IV line that is on Mom’s neck and places the syringe needle into the outlet.

I watch as Mom drifts back to sleep.

Malou waits and then removes the syringe. After placing the needle in the Sharps container, she looks at me.

She grabs a kidney shaped plastic container from one of mom’s drawers and hands it to me. I vomit into it immediately. Once I’m finished, Malou dumps it into the garbage can next to us.

“Katniss, you know that this is supposed to happen,” Malou says gently as she rubs my back.

I nod my head in agreement.

“She can’t see,” I say quietly.

“Her senses are going,” she replies. “You can still talk to her which is more than a lot of people get.”

“I know.”

“Do you want me to give you anything? To help you sleep?”

“No.” I don’t know if I can take anything without hurting Bean. I look up at her kind face. “Can you just stay until I fall asleep?”

Malou nods and I lay back on the cot. She runs her hand through my hair and hums. I recognize it as the same song that Carrie was singing. I am instantly comforted.

I fall into a dreamless sleep.

++++++

When I wake up, light is pouring into the room. Mom remains asleep and oblivious.

I get up and my body aches from sleeping on the cot. Going to the bathroom, I look at myself in the mirror. I look grey, the darkness under my eyes emphasized by my color. Splashing my face with water, I wake up a bit and then go back into the room.

“Good morning.” Malou is in the room and checking on mom again. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess,” I say.

A knock sounds on the door and Prim enters with a bright smile. “Good morning.” She looks over at me and her smile falls. “Are you okay?”

“They both had a bad night,” Malou tells her.

Prim nods. “The Saturday shipment came in so Peeta had to make sure that it was all in order. I will be your driver today.”

I laugh.

Then it happens.

I reach for the chair in front of me and sit. Bending forward, I try to stop it. I try to stop the cramping that is engulfing my body.

I hear Prim’s faint voice. “Katniss, what’s wrong?” I look up and meet her scared eyes.

I take a deep breath. “Prim, I need you to be calm,” I tell her. “I’m having a miscarriage.”

“Holy Lord.” I hear Malou say and she does the sign of the cross.

“What should we do?” Prim asks in a small, scared voice. “Should I call Peeta?”

I shake my head. “No. Go to my phone and find Annie’s number. Call and ask if we should see her.” Another cramp comes and I feel a warmth flow out of me. “My purse is in on the cot.”

Malou kneels before me. “Hold my hand.” I take her hand and squeeze it when another cramp comes.

“Don’t tell them. Don’t tell my family, and don’t tell my husband. It will kill them.”

Just like it is killing me.

I hear Prim on the phone talking to Annie. When she hangs up, she goes to me.

“She wants me to take you to the ER at General,” Prim tells me. “She’ll meet us there.”

“Can you walk?” Malou asks.

“Yes,” I say and she slowly helps me stand. When I double over, she makes me sit back down.

“I’m going to get you a wheelchair,” she tells me and walks out.

Prim is silent. I look up and see that she is on the verge of tears.

“Come here,” I say to her. She comes over and I take her hand. “It’s okay to cry.”

“Katniss, Bean is gone,” she says, then begins to sob.

My eyes remain dry. “Bean was never meant to be.”

I close my eyes listening to her cry.

++++++

A week has passed since I’ve lost Bean.

Annie was already there when we arrived. She works at General when she isn’t at the clinic. After an ultrasound, it was confirmed. She wanted to make sure that everything had expelled from my uterus so she scheduled a follow up at her office.

“I also want to schedule a D&C in two weeks just in case,” she told me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m so sorry, Katniss.”

The cramps and bleeding had subsided by the time we had reached her. My jeans were ruined but I had a new pair which I had packed in my overnight bag.

Prim reminds me to take the painkillers that Annie prescribed, but I refuse. I want to feel something.

I am numb. My body reacts for me.

I see myself drifting away from Peeta, who remains unaware that Bean ever existed. He tries to hold me but I am disgusted with myself. I couldn’t protect Bean.

We don’t make love. We don’t fuck. There’s come a point where I tell him to go find someone else.

He doesn’t respond. I can see the pain of my words in his eyes.

Malou tells the family about what happened. She tells them that I was traumatized when I found out that Mom was blind. They all understand my withdrawal.

Prim is quiet. In the mornings when Peeta leaves, she comes into my room and lays next to me. She cries for me. She tells me how guilty she feels for cursing at me when she found out that I didn’t want Bean.

“You were upset,” I tell her. I leave it at that.

I go to the hospice more. Sometimes, I will even stay nights. I don’t want to sleep next to Peeta. I don’t want to be in the bed where Peeta and I created Bean.

Rye and Marvel come during the day, followed by Carrie in the afternoons with Wheaton and Rhea. Peeta comes with Prim after school. He doesn’t speak to me when we’re here. I try to ignore the looks that Prim gives us.

Dad comes every day and I see how haggard he looks. He sleeps there on the nights that I don’t.

He notices my behavior. “Katniss, you need to rest more,” he tells me.

“I’m fine,” I assure him.

“You haven’t been home most of this week,” Dad says. I know that either Peeta or Prim has talked to him.

“I have my whole life to spend at home.” I look over at Mom. “We might not be here any longer.”

He nods and leaves to get some rest. Tomorrow, he wants me to spend time with Peeta. He will be receiving the Saturday shipment for my husband.

I stare at the ceiling and sleep. I function but barely. Malou sits with me and she presses something into my hand before she goes on her break.

A rosary.

I roll the beads between my fingers. She didn’t explain how to use it, but I feel relief as I press the beads against my pads of my fingers.

I fall asleep with it entwined in-between my fingers.

“Katniss?”

My eyes open at her voice. I rush to her and take her hand. “I’m here.”

“Why is it so dark?” she asks.

The sun is rising.

“The lights are off,” I tell her gently.

“I’m scared,” she whispers. “It’s so dark.”

“Let’s talk, then,” I reply and squeeze her hand.

“Tell me something happy,” she asks innocently. “Please, Mom?”

She is gone into her mind again. The sickness is hijacking her both physically and mentally.

I think for a moment. There are no happy thoughts in my mind. So I do the only I can do.

I lie.

“I’m having a baby,” I tell her and I can’t stop my eyes from watering.

She grins. “Really? When?”

I sniff back my tears. “It is early. I’m only six weeks along.”

“Are you excited?”

“Yes, I can’t wait to hold Bean and rock him or her to sleep,” I say and the smile on my face doesn’t feel so fake.

“Bean?”

“I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet,” I say and I can’t hold back the sob that escapes my throat. The numbness was a godsend in comparison to the pain that I feel.

“Why are you crying?” Her voice is concerned.

“I’m just s-so h-happy.” I struggle with my words. I put my hand over my mouth.

“I’ve always wanted a baby,” she tells me innocently. “Do you have names chosen? I don’t have any girl names but if I have a boy, then I will name him Peeta.”

“I like that name.”

“I want to sleep,” she tells me suddenly and seriously.

I sit on her bed. She takes a deep breath and it sounds hallow. I touch her cheek and she is so cold.

I know this is it.

“Then sleep,” I say simply. “Goodnight, Mom.”

She nods once, closes her eyes, and takes another hard breath in.

The exhale never comes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bad news first: I’m going to be taking a few days off before school starts so you might not see an update for a week or two? Also Chelzie deserves a break from my long chapters.

A few things:

Pier 39 is a tourist attraction along the Bay. I just went there recently and I realized how much I missed it! Even the touristy things can be fun once in a while.

The character of Malou is based off my Auntie who I am really close to. She is a caregiver and former nurse. She also very religious thus a lot of the things she does in the chapter.

California Pacific Medical Center is one of the hospitals in San Francisco. They have campuses all over and one of them does include a hospice.

The Tagalog song that Carrie sings is called, “Tahan Na” (Hush, Love) and is sung by Regine Velasquez. There is another version of this song that I was actually listening to with same lyrics but a different title and that is “Lullaby” sung by Ciel Perlas.

Thank you to the “G” for translating the song.

A good friend of mine lost her mother to breast cancer. One of the experiences that I put into this is based on her own story.

This is the hardest chapter that I’ve had to write because I love Mama Mellark.

Comments can be sent to my e-mail: JLaLaFics@yahoo.com or to my ask/submit on Tumblr.

Until next time.

-JLaLa


	19. Part Four:  Peeta

Thank you for all your reviews on my previous chapter.

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

Thank you to Chelzie for being an awesome beta and holding it down.

_I know I misbehave  
And you’ve made your mistakes  
And we both still got room left to grow  
And though love sometimes hurts  
I still put you first  
And we'll make this thing work  
But I think we should take it slow…_

_-John Legend (Ordinary People)_

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Four, Chapter Eighteen:  Peeta

I’m awake before my phone even rings.

I can’t remember the dream, but I am sweaty and out of breath. My shirt clings to my chest.

_“Why do birds sing so gay  
And lovers await the break of day   
Why do they fall in love   
Why does the rain fall from up above   
Why do fools fall in love…” _

It’s Katniss, her smiling face looking up at me on my phone’s screen. She picked the ringtone as a joke.

I retaliated by making my ringtone “Loverboy” from Dirty Dancing on her phone.

I pick up. “Hello?”

“Peeta.” Her voice is thick and I sit up immediately at the tone of her voice. “Please come.”

“What happened?” I ask, though I know the answer.

“Your Mom…“ It is followed by sobs. “Please come.” That is the only thing I can understand.

 I hear someone in the background. Malou. There’s some shuffling. “Peeta? It’s Malou. I’m so sorry, your Mom-“

I swallow back my tears. “When did it happen?”

“I think about twenty minutes ago?” she says. “I came in to check and Katniss was just here, holding your Mom’s hand.”

“Is Katniss alright?” She has been distant lately. I blame myself. Ever since that night when I came home from Blackthorn, the night I was so drunk that I had used her like some random lay. The meeting I had was actually with Cato. When Thresh had walked in with some of his buddies, Cato and I stayed for a few.

It felt good to let myself not think about everything that was going on.

Then I fucked up.

Actually, I fucked Katniss.

I don’t remember her helping me to my side of the bed. When I woke up, I found two aspirins and a cup of water. I swallowed the pills to help with the headache, but it couldn’t numb the guilt I felt. I told myself long ago that I would never treat her that way. She has already been through so much.

I love my wife. I’m messing up. She deserves better.

“She hasn’t stop crying,” Malou says quietly into the phone. “I’m going to have to give her something if she doesn’t stop soon. Peeta, she never called anyone when it happened.”

“She didn’t?”

“No, there is something wrong,” she responds. “With Katniss, I think…I think you should talk to her. Force her, if anything.”

Katniss hasn’t slept in our bed much this week. The last few times she did, she turned away from me. It hurt to see her drawing away from me.

“Okay, let me talk to her. I’m going to tell her that I’m on my way,” I say. “Thanks, Malou.”

“Anytime.” I hear her say something to Katniss.

“Hello?” Katniss’s voice is raw from crying.

“I’m coming, okay? What I need is for you to calm down,” I tell her. “I’m going to wake Prim and tell her to come after she’s dropped off Rue.”

“Okay.” Katniss sounds broken. She cried when her own Mom died, but not like this. “I need you. Please hurry.”

“I love you,” I say.

She doesn’t respond.

++++++

As soon as I step off the elevator and turn, I find Katniss sitting in the hallway alone, staring at the ground. At the sound of my steps, her head snaps up and I stop short. How did I not notice the small, tired movements of her body, the gauntness of her face, and the tortured look in her eyes?

“Katniss.” Without thought, she is rushing over and I am pulling her to me. I hold her tightly. All is forgiven for the moment. “Oh, sweetheart…”

“She was talking to me,” she tells me, her voice muffled because her mouth is against my shoulder.  “Then she told me she was tired and I knew, Peeta. I knew that she was going. So I just said good night.”

“You did fine,” I assure her as I kiss the top of her head.  “How long were you alone for?”

“I don’t know,” she says. Her braid is coming undone so I take the tip of it in my fingers, pulling the hair tie off easily as I do. I run my fingers through her hair to untangle it. “Maybe an hour, I don’t remember.”

“I should go inside.” I feel sick. “Who is in there already?”

“Dad, Carrie and Wheaton. I let Rhea sleep on the cot.” Katniss is pale and I see her trying to remain steady. “Rye and Marvel are on their way.”

“Come in with me?” I ask and I don’t recognize my voice.  It sounds fearful and sad. What if she says no? If she did, though, I wouldn’t blame her.

Katniss pulls away and looks into my eyes. I see my feelings in hers. We’re afraid that we’ve made too many mistakes with each other. Somewhere along the way, we lost our friendship and it’s been replaced with something much weaker.

Despite this, she takes my hand in hers. “Together.”

I nod, resolute.

Opening the door to the room, it feels like even the air has stopped moving. My father sits in a chair next to the bed. His back is to us, but I can see that one hand holds on to my Mom’s stilled hand. Carrie sits at the end of the bed quietly crying into her hands. Wheaton is behind her, rubbing her back. My brother, who is the oldest and the rock, has tears running down his face.

I make my way over to where my Dad sits and put a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me.

I swallow my tears at his face. He looks truly alone. Katniss tightens her hold on my hand.

“Dad.” He stands quickly and pulls me in for a hug. His shoulders shake as he cries into my shoulder and I can feel Katniss’ arm encircle me. Her other arm pulls my father closer to us.

When he has calmed down, my Dad pulls away and I walk towards the bed. Taking Mom’s hand, I can feel that it is warm from my Dad holding it. However, when I touch her cheek, her skin is cool. Her lips, however, are curled into a small smile.

She looks happy. She looks content. I know her last thought was a good one.

“What was she talking about before she left?” I ask.

“You.”  Katniss’ voice rings out in the unmoving air.

I lose it.

The sobs rise out from deep within my belly and the pain is crippling. I almost fall forward and my Dad, while broken himself, pulls me to him.

“Mom…” I call out to her as if she is still there.

The door opens and Rye rushes in, his face crumbling when he sees her. She was always the most affectionate with him when we were younger. I think she knew that being the middle child was hard so she doted on him more.

He walks over to her. Carrie gets up so she can make room for him. Rye puts his face against her shoulder, crying loudly into the cardigan that she is wearing. Marvel walks in and when he sees my brother he goes over to him. Gently, he pulls my brother away from Mom.

“Don’t cry on her,” he quietly tells Rye. My brother leans back against him and Marvel enfolds an arm over his shoulders. Rye nods, though his body is still shaking from the crying.

“Why?” I ask shakily.

“Because the spirit becomes too sad to leave,” Carrie replies, her voice gravelly. Wheaton, now holding Rhea, looks up at her sadly, clinging to their daughter. “That’s what my Dad said when my Mom died.”

I nod and then notice that Katniss is gone.

“Where is Katniss?” I ask everyone.

“She went into the bathroom.” Malou is standing in the doorway and nods her head. “It doesn’t lock.”

I knock on the door and open it after a moment, quickly slipping inside. Katniss looks up at me from where she sits on the counter. She is grimacing as she holds her abdomen.

“What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and my eye catches the pill bottle on the other side.

“What is that?”

Katniss looks up at me, her eyes suddenly steely. “Please leave me alone.”

I won’t let her push me away. Not anymore. We need each other.

“You said together,” I tell her. “Don’t tell me that it was complete bullshit.” I cup her face in my hands. “Please don’t hide from me. Not now. Not when we’ve lost our mother. I can’t lose us, too.”

Katniss’s lower lip trembles. “That’s what I’m afraid of. You’ve always been my best friend and now my husband. I let myself fall and I’m afraid of facing the consequences. I can’t let that happen. Not like my mother, I can’t be like her.” She lets out a shaky breath. “If you ever hated me, I don’t think I would be able to take it.”

“Why? Why would I hate you?” I ask and my eyes dart to the pill bottle. She doesn’t stop me when I pick it up. It’s prescribed by Annie but I have no idea what for. “What is this?”

“They’re painkillers,” she replies quietly.

“For what?” My heart begins to beat wildly. “Are you sick?”

Katniss shakes her head. “God, I wish it was that simple,” she replies. We can hear that Prim has arrived. “We should go back.”

“No.” I’m firm about this.

Maybe it’s because Mom being gone hasn’t really hit me yet or maybe it’s because I am tired of us hiding from each other, but I feel my anger rising.

Katniss glares at me. “Your mother just died, Peeta. This isn’t the time or the place.”

“My mother taught me to not hide from anything. It’s disrespectful to disregard what she tried to teach me when she was alive.”

She ignores me and opens the door slightly. I rush forward and slam it shut, my hand above her head. Katniss turns and we are face-to-face.

“Stop hiding,” I demand. “Stop trying to ignore the fact that there is something wrong with us.”

She looks up at me for a moment before pushing past me. Going into her bag, she reaches into her wallet for something, and then hands it to me.

It’s a sonogram. Oh my God.

“You’re pregnant?”

Katniss shakes her head frantically and she sinks to the floor.

My heart sinks. I sit next to her.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I swear to God, I was going to tell you,” she says to me. Katniss doesn’t look at me but stares at the wall on the opposite side. “When I found out, I didn’t know if I wanted Bean.”

“Bean?”

She takes the picture from my hand and points out the shape. “It looked like a bean so that’s what I called it.” Katniss gives me back the photo. “I was going to tell you after that night I spent here, but it happened before I could. It happened right here in this damn hospice! I made Prim and Malou swear not to tell you or the family.”

I feel numb. Katniss has just told me that she was pregnant and lost a baby. On top of that, my mother is dead.

“Peeta? Katniss?” Prim’s muffled voice is heard through the door. “Can you come out, please?” I can hear her whimper. “Please?”

Our eyes meet and she looks defeated. I don’t push her. I’m defeated myself.

“This isn’t over, Everdeen.” I say without a thought.

Katniss stops, her hand on the doorknob. She turns to look at me.

“I said together,” she tells me. “I stand by that. And it’s Mellark.”

With that, she opens the door and walks out.

I look down at the photo and my thumb gently brushes against Bean. After taking a deep breath, I follow her out.

++++++

Katniss goes right to shower when we get home. It’s late into the evening. The funeral will be in a week.

My eyes ache from crying. When we emerged from the bathroom, Prim was already in tears and I pulled her into my arms. Katniss stood by, frozen. I think she was a little hurt that Prim went to me. Without another thought, I pulled her against me as well.

We are family, for better or worse.

For better or worse. That has never meant as much as it does now.

I go into our room and I see the rumpled bed. The bed where we might have made the little, yet significant Bean—I can’t be in here.

Instead, I go to the linen closet in the hallway and grab some blankets. Walking down to the living room, I pull the coffee table out of the way before setting up a makeshift bed. I grab one of the decorative pillows to put behind my back. I don’t feel like changing, so I sit down and pull out my wallet.

Opening it, I pull out the folded picture. I examine the black and whites of the photo. I look at the wavy shapes and lines. I look at the small white spot of a baby that was once alive.

Losing Mom was one thing; we were prepared, though no one can really prepare for death.

This is different. How am I supposed to feel about losing something that I never knew I had? For a moment, I’m angry at Katniss for not telling me.

_She was going to tell you._

The voice in my mind sounds like Mom. She would have told me to be practical and that it wasn’t Katniss’ fault.

“I know that!” I hiss to quiet her down.

“Peeta?”

I look up to see Prim at the archway between the living room and dining room. Her long hair hangs around her face and her eyes are heavy with sadness. Even at sixteen, she still looks like a child to me. I guess that it will never change, even when the time comes to walk her down the aisle.

“Why are you down here?” she asks and walks over to me. Sitting on the couch, Prim sees what I’m looking at. “Peeta, don’t be mad at her.”

“Why do you think I’m mad?” I ask.

“Because she didn’t tell you right away,” Prim replies. “Katniss was never good with handling things like this. She always relies on me or even you to help her out when it comes to understanding her feelings. She was going to tell you. Katniss was excited about it.”

I look up at her. “Excited?”

“She didn’t say it, but I could see it,” Prim tells me. “I think that she is more disappointed in herself. She wanted to give you a baby.” Prim looks at the photo. “Katniss loves you, even if she pushes you away sometimes. Don’t let her. Stand firm, no matter how much she pushes. Be her pillar. She’ll need you to lean on. You need her, too.”

I think of everything that has happened and the pain sharpens within me. All I really want to do right now is hold my wife. I want to sink against her because though I am her pillar, I find myself slipping.

“When did you get so smart?” I ask Prim.

She shrugs. “I eat a lot of vegetables. Take a lot of drugs.” I raise my eyebrows. “Kidding, of course.”

I laugh gruffly. “How are you? You lost a mother, too, you know.”

“She’s not suffering anymore,” Prim replies after a moment. “Isn’t that all anyone can ask for in life sometimes?”

She really is too damn smart.

“I’d better go to bed,” she says and gets up. When she reaches the archway, she suddenly turns and there are tears in her eyes.  She bites her lip nervously. “I told Katniss that she was selfish. You know, before she decided to keep it?” She begins to cry. “I told her it would ruin your marriage if you found out that she was hiding it. This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to be wrong about something.”

I go and hug her tightly. I kiss the top of her head. My little sister, God love her.

“I’m still here, Primmy,” I tell her. “Have a little faith in me.”

She nods as she pulls away. “Of course.” Prim looks at me. “I’m so sorry…about everything.” Without another word, she rushes up the stairs.

I go back to my spot on the floor and lay back. I can hear Katniss’ footsteps above me. She’s probably noticed already that I’m gone. Is she upset?

Grabbing my phone, I turn on the music player. I need some white noise to distract me from the millions of thoughts running through my mind. They all pile one on top of another and I try to hold all of them. I’m afraid if they all get too heavy that they will spill out and destroy me.

For my own sanity, I can’t be that way.

_“Living on the edge out of control  
And the world just won’t let me slow down  
But in my biggest picture was a photo of you and me…”_

“Peeta?” I push up on my elbows and find Katniss at the archway where Prim stood. Her hair is still damp from her shower and the ends of her hair twist, resting against her chest. For a moment, I can’t help but think how unbearably beautiful she is.

Katniss walks over tentatively and then sinks down on her knees next to me. Her eyes meet mine and I can see hurt swimming in them.

“Why are you sleeping down here?” she asks.

I shrug and my eyes turn away from her. “I don’t really know.”

She knows I’m lying. “Is it because of Bean?” I don’t answer, so she continues. “I did the same thing. I couldn’t sleep in the bed where we might have made Bean, so I stayed away.”

“You stayed at the hospice,” I reply bitterly. “You watched one death, then another and you did it alone.” I turn to look at her. “Why am I even here, Katniss? We’re married, remember?” I hold up my left hand. “Together, everything together.”

“I don’t know why I didn’t talk to you,” she says. “Everything seemed so unreal and happened so fast that I couldn’t think straight.”

“I want to protect you,” I say. “You just never let me.”

“How could you protect me from these feelings?” Katniss asks me. “How can you protect me from feelings that I don’t understand?”

“We were best friends once.” I sit back against the front of the sofa behind us. “We used to tell each other everything. When did that stop?”

“We’re not even friends anymore?” Her voice is small and hurt. “If anything, I thought that was the only thing that we knew.”

We sit in silence and after a while, I lay back down on the hard floor. Katniss follows, lying next to me. We both stare up at the ceiling.

I feel her take my hand in hers and she entwines her fingers in-between mine. It’s not the grand romantic gesture that people often want.

But coming from her, it means the world.

After a moment, she breaks the silence.

“I need to believe that you love me,” she begins. “That you love me enough to stay. Because if you leave, then I’ll know.”

I turn to my side to look at her. “Know what?”

“I’ll know that it wasn’t because it was meant to happen.” I see her chin tremble and a tear slips down from the side of her face as she looks up. ”It’s because even Bean knew that I couldn’t do it.” I feel my anger ebbing away at the sight of her tortured face.

“That’s not true. You know it, too.” I reach out and brush the tear away with my finger. She blows out a shaky breath. “Katniss, you keep on trying to find reasons for me to leave.” I pause for a moment before I say the next thing. “But maybe it’s you who wants to leave.”

She turns to me. “That’s not true.”

“Are you sure?” I’m scared at the thought. “Losing Bean hurts, but losing you…”

“What?”

“It would kill me.”

She looks down at our hands and then at me.

“It would kill me, too.”

We lay back again, our hands still intertwined.

 It’s just us. It has been and always will be us, as far as I’m concerned.

“Can we be friends again?” she asks me after a moment.

“Come here.” I pull her to me gently and she rests her head against my chest.

The next day we have our bed taken away.

We spend the rest of the week sleeping on the couch, Katniss on top of me. Her chest against mine, our hearts beating against one another and our hands knotted together.

++++++

“Before I close the casket, I wanted to give you an opportunity to say your final goodbyes,” Stephen, the mortuary coordinator, says to us.

We are at Duggan’s Mortuary where Mom has been interred for the last three days for her wake. The pews of the chapel are filled with people, as well as the hallways.

We all stand in a half-circle: Dad, my brothers, Carrie, Marvel, Prim, Katniss and me. Rogelio, Carrie’s Dad, sits in the front pew of the funeral home chapel holding Rhea.

“Did the daughters want to start first?” Stephen suggests gently. “Then the sons can go, and Tom last.”

We all nod numbly. Prim goes first and I watch her touch Mom’s hand and give it a small squeeze. She puts her fingers to her lips and then presses her three fingers to Mom’s lips. Katniss follows and leans down close to my mother’s ear. I see that she is whispering something.

Carrie goes last and she presses her lips against Mom’s forehead. She then takes a small pair of scissors and snips the rosary in my Mom’s clasped hands. She says that it is a tradition in her family and we don’t question it. We’ve all found our own ways to cope.

Wheaton is next and he also kisses her forehead before joining his wife. Rye follows and places his hand over hers looking at her as Marvel stands beside him.

It is my turn. I look at her and when I place my hand on hers, I feel the coldness of it. She is truly gone; the warmth of her soul has left her body. This isn’t her. This is a shell. She is somewhere else now. I lean down to her ear because I think maybe, just maybe, she can hear me.

“I love you, I love you so much,” I say. “I’ll take care of everyone, I promise.”

I move over to Katniss and she pulls me close to her.

My Dad goes to my Mom last. He is talking to her quietly and we watch him stroke her face, then he kisses her softly. When he begins to cry, Katniss goes quickly and places an arm around him to take him aside.

My mind drifts back to this morning when we were all getting ready. Everyone slept at the house because no one wanted to leave Dad alone. After I had finished putting my suit on, I went to search for my wife.

I finally found her in my parents’ bedroom. She was laying out my Dad’s suit for him in the chair of my parent’s bedroom. Just like my Mom.

I walked in and she turned quickly. We stared at one another for a moment. Finally, I walked over to my Dad’s closet and took his favorite tie out to help her. When she finished, I took her hand and led her to our room to help her put on the black sheath dress that Johanna lent her.

Stephen goes to the coffin and closes it gently. Then he turns to us. “Pallbearers?”

I step forward. Rye, Wheaton and Marvel also join me. Then Gale and Rory, who were sitting in the front pews, join us. Gale gives me a nod.

Stephen hands us each a set of white gloves to put on. He instructs that we will be lifting the coffin and placing it on the transporter so that it can go into the hearse. Once we arrive at the church, we are to assist in bringing the coffin in.

I put on my gloves. My eyes meet Gale’s.

“I’m sorry,” he says. ”If you guys need anything…”

“Thanks.”

“Are you ready?” he asks.

“I’ll never be ready for this.”

++++++

“Rhiannon Kelley Mellark was born on April 13, 1953 in Berkeley, California. The daughter of Ada and Patrick Kelley, she was an only child,” Carrie reads from the podium. She had agreed to write the short biography and do the research. The service is in Church of the Epiphany. My mom lived in the Mission District since she was five and she attended the church’s school. Every pew is filled as we listen to my sister try to recollect Mom’s life on one piece of paper.

 Carrie said one page wasn’t enough.

“Rhiannon attended School of the Epiphany during her childhood. Then, as a teenager, she attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory and was Salutatorian of her graduating class. Rhiannon was given a full scholarship to University of California-Berkeley where she would meet her future husband, Tom Mellark.”

I look over at my Dad and I can see a small smile play on his mouth. Even though she is gone, he is still proud of her. I swallow the lump in my throat and continue to listen. The scent of flowers fills the church. Many of my parents’ colleagues have sent huge wreaths of my gardenias, Mom’s favorite flower.

“They married in 1975. Rhiannon is survived by her husband, Tom and their three sons: Wheaton, Ryland and Peeta as well as their partners: Carrie, Marvel, and Katniss. She is also survived by daughter Primrose.”

Prim bursts into tears and Marvel, who sits next to her, hands her some tissue. He wipes his own eyes.

“Rhiannon also has two grandchildren, Rhea Vivian and Bean.” Carrie stops and looks at Katniss and me. Now everyone knows. No one mentioned it, however. We were all wrecks and trying to plan a funeral.

“Our family requests that anyone whose life has been affected by this wonderful woman, please donate to the Breast Cancer Society. We thank you for your love and support.”

Carrie steps down from the podium and sits back in her seat. Before her, we had several eulogies on my Mom’s behalf. Friends from the various charities she’s worked for, Mr. Antonelli, and even an ex-beau who my Mom worked with at one point. My Dad turned a deep shade of red as the man talked about my mother.

Rue steps up to the podium. “I’m here on Primrose’s behalf. I’m going to be singing the song that Mr. and Mrs. Mellark danced to at their wedding.” She looks over at Rory, who is sitting at a sidepew, to start playing his guitar.

_“People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one  
And we've just begun  
I think I'm gonna have a son  
He will be like him and me, as free as a dove  
Conceived in love  
The sun is gonna shine above  
  
And even though we ain't got money  
I'm so in love with you honey  
Everything will bring a chain of love  
And in the morning when I rise  
Bring a tear of joy to my eyes  
And tell me everything's gonna be all right…”_

I look over at my Dad and his eyes are closed. I can see him mouthing the words to the song. Katniss takes my hand and I meet her serious eyes.  She sings the song quietly to herself.

When Rue is finished, she steps down and goes to my Dad, shaking his hand. Rory follows, doing the same before the two take their seats. I notice that Prim is watching them carefully, almost suspiciously.

Katniss kisses my fingers and then suddenly stands up. I watch her walk to the podium, the black skirt of her dress moving with her as she walks.

“I’m Katniss, Tom and Rhiannon’s daughter-in-law. I wanted to read a poem to conclude the service,” she tells everyone. “It is called ‘The Summer Day’ and is written by Mary Oliver.” She looks around nervously before unfolding a piece of paper.

_“Who made the world?  
Who made the swan, and the black bear?  
Who made the grasshopper?  
This grasshopper, I mean-  
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,  
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,  
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-  
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.  
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.  
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.”_

Katniss looks up from the paper and our eyes meet. I can tell that she is on the verge of breaking down.

I nod. “Together,” I whisper. I tell her that I am with her. She nods back before continuing.

_“I don't know exactly what a prayer is.  
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down  
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,  
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,  
which is what I have been doing all day.  
Tell me, what else should I have done?  
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?”_

Her voice wavers at the last sentence and she stops to wipe her eyes. I stand to go over to her, but Prim stops me. Putting her hand on my shoulder, I sit back down slowly. In my mind, I urge Katniss to finish.

Finally, she says the last line. Her grey eyes look over us as she speaks, her voice strong.

_“Tell me, what is it you plan to do  
with your one wild and precious life?”_

++++++

We all spend the night at Mom and Dad’s again. Everyone is too emotionally spent from the day. After the service, my brothers and I along with Marvel, Gale and Rory put our white gloves back on to guide the coffin back to the hearse so that we could head to Colma.

In a way, I had expected Rye to freak out as we prepared to let Mom go. It turned out to be Wheaton who had burst into tears. As the oldest, Wheaton felt the need to be the solid one and because of that, he bottled it in. It took Carrie, Rye and myself to pry him away from the coffin so that the service could move on.

Tonight, I can’t sleep. Katniss sighs and I kiss the side of her head. It wasn’t easy for her to play the host after the service. She told me that she felt awkward and that Carrie was a much better host.

The house had been set up for a small service luncheon and had been filled with people for hours. Everyone wanted to tell us how much they adored Mom.

Cato had cornered me to give his condolences and also to tell me that the investigation has moved forward. He wanted to meet again sometime next week.

“You should tell Katniss,” he said to me. “I think you both need some good news.” I look over to where she is speaking to Glimmer. I see her give Katniss a hug.

Glimmer would be one to sneak in some affection during a time like this.

I look over at the clock and it is past midnight. Slowly, I get up so I won’t disturb Katniss. She needs her rest.

I leave the room and go downstairs. I decide to get some water and am surprised to see the outside deck light is on. Instead of going to the fridge, I go outside.

My father sits outside, a beer in his hand. He is looking up at the moon. When he hears me close the door, he turns.

“Peeta, what are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” I sit down in the chair next to him.

The air is warm and I can smell smoke in the air. When it is a nice night like this, crowds of people will flood Ocean Beach to have bonfires. If you drive past the beach on a night like this, you can see rows of bonfires. The smell carries all the way to our neighborhood.

“Nice night, horrible day,” he says to me. After he takes a drink, he looks over at me. “I’m sorry to hear about Katniss and Bean. I hope you don’t mind that we included Bean.”

I shake my head and swallow my tears. “No, it was nice. I think it was nice to acknowledge Bean for Katniss’ sake.”

“And you?”

“She didn’t tell me until Bean was gone,” I reply. “How am I supposed to feel sad about someone who was gone before I knew they even existed?” Truthfully, I’m still numb that way.

“You’re a father, Peeta,” Dad tells me. “You became a father the day you put a ring on Katniss’s finger. You’re raising Prim. You’re allowed to be sad about losing another child, especially one that you and Katniss made together.”

“I guess,” I reply. “Did you ever go through a rough period with Mom?”

“Of course,” he says. “Before we had Wheaton, we were dirt poor. You know that your grandparents were already gone and your Mom only had her mother. So we really depended on each other. Wheaton wasn’t expected and at that time, I was working for the Sugarbowl Company as a driver. Long hours and shit pay, but we needed it.”

“I forget that all of this didn’t come easy,” I say, looking out at the manicured lawn and beautiful trees of the backyard.

“We worked hard. Your Mom took jobs while raising Wheaton so I could go to Culinary School. Thank goodness we had your Grandmother to babysit. There were some days when I wasn’t sure that we’d make it. We would fight constantly.”

“Wow… Now I feel incredibly lucky.”

“Marriage, rich or poor, is never easy,” he says. “You’re going to go through tough times. You’ll have times when you want to walk away. You’ll wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze.” Dad pauses for a moment. “But there will be times when you’ll need each other. You need her so desperately that sometimes you’ll stop everything to call and hear her voice.”

“Sometimes, I want to protect Katniss from everything,” I tell him. “She’s had so much pain in her life. I can see it in her eyes. Is it normal to want to stop everything in my life to protect her?”

“You’re in love.” Dad grins at me. “You’ve always been in love with her. But you can’t protect her from the bad things that might happen. All you can do is stand together when they do happen, though.”

I nod and a yawn escapes my mouth.

“You better go up before Katniss wakes up,” he says. “It’s scary to wake up and realize the one you love isn’t there.”

“Okay, but you try to sleep, too, okay?”

Dad nods but he is far away again. Before I leave, I turn to see him looking up at the moon.

I swear I hear him say Mom’s name.

++++++

When I wake up the next morning, Katniss is not in bed. I’m not scared because I already know where she is. Getting up, I walk to my parents’ room and there I find her, laying out my Dad’s clothes. She looks up when she sees me and gives me a smile.

“Good morning,” she greets me.

I walk over and take her face in my hands. Without another thought, I kiss her.

We haven’t kissed like this for weeks.

I run my hands through her hair and she deepens the kiss. Katniss coaxes her tongue into my mouth and I moan. I’ve missed her touch, not realizing just how much until right now.

“Should I come back?” We separate quickly to find my Dad grinning at us from the doorway. “Carrie wanted me to tell you that breakfast ready.”

“We’ll be right down,” I tell him and smile back. Katniss is looking down, her hand covering her own grin. “Thanks, Dad.”

“I’m going to close this door and give you two some privacy,” he replies. “Take your time, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

He closes the door behind him. Katniss turns to me with a smile. “He is hanging out with Prim too much.” She is blushing from the kiss.

I lift her chin. “I miss kissing you.”

She sits down on the bed and fiddles with the hem of the shirt she’s wearing. After a moment, Katniss looks up at me.

 “I miss kissing you, too. I miss a lot of things that we did together. I’m not ready for anything else right now other than kissing,” she says. “Especially with my procedure happening tomorrow.”

I realize that tomorrow is her D&C with Annie. “Can I go with you?” I ask her. “I want to be there when you wake up.”

“Are you sure?” Katniss looks nervous from both the thought of the procedure and me being there.

I take her hand. “Let me take care of you,” I say to her. “I know this hasn’t been the easiest time for us.” I look down before meeting her eyes.  “But I love you and I want you to trust me again.”

My free hand cups her cheek and she closes her eyes. “Okay.” I smile to myself. It is a small triumph. We are at a sweeter, quieter place in our relationship. There is no rushing from me. I will take whatever I can get.

“Peeta?” Her eyes are still closed.

“Yes?”

“Will you kiss me again?”

I stand up and brush my lips lightly over hers. After a moment, she opens her eyes and grins up at me.

My hand in hers, I walk us back to the guest bedroom that we’re staying in to kiss her again.

We never make it to breakfast.

++++++

“She did well,” Annie tells me in the waiting room. “Everything was perfect, though I was a bit worried after having to push it back a few days.” She puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry about your mother. The service was really beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Annie and Finnick came to the service, but we weren’t able to spend as much time with them.

“Katniss is going to need some rest. She might be nauseous, so keep her off her feet. Her recovery will be about 1-2 days.” She blushes. “Also, no sex for the next two weeks. I don’t know why I’m turning red.”

“Well, we are your friends,” I tell her.

“I just wanted you to know that she wanted the baby,” she says. “Katniss was scared but she wanted it. I could tell.” Annie sighs. “Do you want to see her?”

I nod and she leads me to the recovery room. Only a few other people occupy the room and Annie leads me to her bed. She is still sleeping when I sit down in the chair at her bedside.

“It might take her a bit to wake up,” Annie tells me. “When she does, you both can go. Call me if there are any problems.”

“Thanks, Dr. Cresta,” I reply with a grin. She nods before drawing the curtain.

I look over at Katniss and take the hand closest to me. Opening her palm, I trace patterns on it and hum to myself.

_“You say you'll give me  
Eyes in a moon of blindness  
A river in a time of dryness  
A harbor in the tempest_

_But all the promises we make  
From the cradle to the grave  
When all I want is you…”_

I look up from tracing her palm and see her eyes are open. Her grey eyes dancing as she watches me.

“Don’t stop now, Mellark.” Her voice is hoarse and she smiles groggily. “You brought me back.”

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“As best as I can feel,” she tells me. “I dreamt of Bean.”

“You did?”

“I think it was her as a little girl.” Katniss looks at me, her eyes wet. “Her smile was crooked like yours and her hair was dark. She looked so happy, Peeta. I could hear her singing and I wanted to talk to her. But somehow I knew that I didn’t belong there.”

She puts her face in her hands and begins to cry. She cries for Bean, for Mom, and for us. I hold her hand. I tell her that it will be okay. I tell her that how in love with her I am.

But soon after that, I join her.

Like we say, together.

* * *

* * *

This chapter isn’t super long but I honestly hated writing this chapter. I wrote Mama Mellark and didn’t expect to become so involved with her character. So now that she’s gone, I really do feel down. She became real enough for me.

Anyway, there are two customs that are mentioned in regards to this chapter. One being that people shouldn’t cry on the dead. When my grandfather died, we weren’t allowed to cry on him or even near him. The soul becomes too sad to leave their loved ones and it can’t go…wherever it is supposed to.

The other custom being that you cut a rosary if the deceased has one in their coffin. It is supposed to prevent another death from happening. Carrie does this, of course, because it is common in the Philippine tradition.

Duggan’s Mortuary is in Daly City, there is also a branch in San Francisco. For this chapter, I used the one in Daly City. Colma was mentioned in a previous chapter as a cemetery town and it is the main burial place for people around here. There are only cemeteries in San Francisco and they are not used since one is in the Presidio and the other is in Mission Dolores.

Ocean Beach is the main beach around her and on rare warm nights, there are bond fires everyone on the beach. My sister actually hosts bonfires where they fly paper lanterns like in ‘Tangled’.

Rhiannon is the goddess of fertility and the moon. Just in case you wanted to know where I got the name from.

The poem, “The Summer Day”, is my favorite poem. It is written by Mary Oliver. I did not write that poem myself though I wish I did.

A D&C (Dilation and Curettage) is a two-step process for eliminating uterine lining during a miscarriage. It is commonly used during the first trimester.

Songs:

“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” sung by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

“Can You Help Me?” sung by Usher

“Danny’s Song” sung by Anne Murray

“All I Want is You” sung by U2    

I think that there are people who probably expect Peeta to be angrier. I thought about it and for some reason, I didn’t really see it. Hurt because she didn’t tell him sooner? Yes. Angry enough to sleep with someone else? No.

I talked to my husband and asked him what he thought. We had a lengthy conversation and it assured me that I was going in the right direction for the story.

I want marriage to be the main focus and drama the second. There has been a lot of that already in previous chapter.

All comments can be e-mailed to me at [JLaLaFics@yahoo.com](mailto:JLaLaFics@yahoo.com) or Tumblr.

Next Chapter: Prim goes to the prom. Katniss and Peeta “reconnect”.

Until then, JLaLa


	20. Part Four: Katniss

Thank you for all the wonderful responses for my last chapter! I’m really sorry for making a lot of you cry though.

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

Thank you to Chelzie for keeping me and the fandom together.

_You've got your ball_  
 _you've got your chain_  
 _tied to me tight tie me up again_  
 _got their claws_  
 _in you my friend_  
 _Into your heart I'll beat again_  
 _Sweet like candy to my soul_  
 _Sweet you rock_  
 _and sweet you roll_  
 _Lost for you I'm so lost for you…_

_-Dave Matthews (Crash Into Me)_

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Four, Chapter Nineteen: Katniss

**_One Month Later_ **

“How are you doing, Katniss?” I look up from my table to see the kind eyes of Beetee. When he is here, Beetee likes to check up on all the interns.

“I’m good, Sir,” I reply as I organize the assessment charts that I have to put into an Excel spreadsheet. Most of my job right now consists of inputting information into a computer. Once in a while, I do get to wander into the Architecture Department and look over building designs.

Wiress, the main architect, has taken a liking to me, so she lets me hang around her office on my lunch hour. It’s probably because I share cookies from Peeta’s bakery with her. She lives in a house along Ocean Beach so she is familiar with the bakery.

“Please, call me Beetee,” he says and sits down. He pulls out something from his pocket. “Wiress showed me something that I found really interesting.”

He unfolds a piece of paper which reveals a design that Wiress had drawn up. My notes are written all over it along with corrections on certain areas. It was from a design that was not going forward because the company had decided on another one of her suggestions.

I blush and look at him. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t an insult to Wiress. I’ve been reading up on recycled jean insulation and I thought that this building would be great for it.” I take the pencil from behind my ear. “See?” I circle the areas on the paper he’s placed on the table. “On the exterior wall, it would be perfect.”

“I wasn’t upset,” he tells me with a smile. “I just wanted to compliment you on this design. You have a good eye, Katniss, and that’s a valuable asset to a team. Have you ever considered becoming a consultant?”

“Well, I’d like to after I graduate from school,” I reply.

“I should let you talk to E,” he replies.

“E?”

“Enobaria, my wife,” Beetee says. “She is Head of the Assessment Team here. If you’re interested, that is.”

“I am!” I can’t believe that this is happening.

“I’ll give her your number.” Pushing his glasses up, he looks at the picture again. “Wiress was right about you. You have potential in the company. My sister has always had an eye for talent.”

“Wiress is your sister?”

“My little sister,” he tells me. “I’m ten years older than her.” Beetee looks over at his watch. “I should be heading off.  Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Peeta should be outside waiting for me already. We promised Prim that we would drop her and Rue off at the Metreon, since we’re not quite ready for her to drive downtown just yet. Wheaton promised to show her the ropes since it can get tricky around Powell Street.

Gathering my things, Beetee and I walk down the hallway towards the exit. He tells me about the house that he and Enobaria have just purchased in Hillsborough.

When we are outside, Beetee spots Peeta’s Chevy. My husband is leaning against the car talking on the phone. He looks up and gives me a grin before saying goodbye to the person on the phone.

“Nice car,” Beetee tells him and holds his hand out. “Walter Beetee, but please, call me Beetee.”

I grin when I hear his first name. “Walter and Wiress, I get it.”

“Yes, our parents were a bit eccentric,” he replies shyly as he shakes Peeta’s hand.

“Peeta Mellark,” my husband says and gives me a wink. “Nice to meet you.”

“I was just telling Katniss to consider a job in standards assessment,” Beetee tells him. “My wife would love to have her on the team.”

“Your wife works here, too?”

Beetee grins proudly. “Yes, she was actually hired by my sister. That’s how we met. She’s brilliant.”

“Then she and Katniss will get along,” Peeta replies and takes my hand.

“I believe so.” Beetee looks at his watch again. “I’d better go. E is expecting me for dinner and she hates to be kept waiting. Nice meeting you, Peeta. Great job today, Katniss.” He takes out his wallet and pulls out his business card. “Please send me your personal e-mail, I’ll let E know about you. I’m going to Japan next week, so expect her e-mail.”

“Will do,” I say. “Have a good trip, Beetee.”

With that, he is gone.

“Wow, you’ve already impressed the boss,” Peeta says and pulls me to him for a kiss. I throw my arms around his neck and he tightens his hold on my waist. I find myself being laid across the hood of the car. One of my hands moves down to grip the back of his shirt and he moans into my mouth.

The fire is still there.

With one last kiss on my neck, Peeta pulls away and helps me to my feet.

“This is probably not the time or place for this,” he says, grinning at me. Peeta opens the passenger door for me and I slip into my seat.

When he is seated at the driver’s side, I turn to him and my fingers find the tip of my braid. “Peeta?”

He turns the keys and the car springs to life. “Hmm?”

“Do you still want me?”

Peeta turns to look at me. After a moment, he turns the key to shut off the engine. His hand reaches behind my neck and he brings my head close to his. He looks at me for a moment and I can see the warmth in his eyes.

“I want you,” he tells me. “I want you so badly that sometimes I want to stop everything just to see you.” My hand reaches out to cup his cheek and he turns to brush his lips on my palm. “I want you to be ready.”

Taking his face in my hands, I kiss him. My kiss isn’t gentle and when I tempt his mouth open, I let my tongue slip in to slightly touch his. Before I pull away, I suck his bottom lip and nip it lightly. I want him to know that he’s not the only who left wanting whenever we touch.

“I’m ready,” I whisper into his ear and Peeta nods. He is at a loss for words.

He stares at me as he settles back into seat. Peeta turns and places his forehead against the steering wheel and closes his eyes.

“You need a minute?” I ask as I look at him.

He nods against the wheel. “Yes, please.”

“Okay, whenever you’re ready to go.”

Turning to look out the window, I try to hide my grin.

++++++

When we reach our house, we are surprised to find Johanna and Gale waiting for us. As soon as the car stops, I jump out, worried. Has something happened to Prim?

“Thank God, you’re here,” Johanna says. She takes my arm and leads me up to the front door of the house. “SHE knows.”

“Who knows what?” Gale and Peeta follow and stop on the stairs. I grab my keys from my bag.

“Prim,” Gale tells us. “She knows that there’s something going on with Rory and Rue.”

“What?” Peeta replies. “They haven’t done anything. I’ve seen them together.”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” Johanna says to my husband.

I glare at her.

“Sorry,” she apologizes to Peeta and then turns back to me. “Gale and I were in the car waiting for Rory. He said that he was going to come to the bakery to drop off some sheet music for Rue.”

“Well, I was there when he came in,” Peeta says. “He said he was going to wait for you guys to pick him up and then I left.”

“Anyway, when we got here, Rue and Rory were arguing outside,” Gale continues. “Then he grabs her face like this...”

Gale proceeds to demonstrate by cupping Peeta’s face in-between his large hands. I don’t think he realizes exactly what he’s doing but Peeta does. His face turns red.

“Rory leans forward and—“

“Dude.” Peeta interferes before Gale can go any further.

_Click._

Johanna puts down her phone. “That’s going to be on the ‘Thank You’ cards for the wedding.”

“Can we focus please?” I ask, irritated.

“He kissed her,” Johanna says. “It just happened to be right when Prim was walking one of her tutoring students out.”

I feel my heart sink for Prim. We all knew that Rue and Rory had feelings for one another. However, we hoped that they would confess to Prim about it. No one expected this outcome.

“So Prim sees them and Rue sees her see them,” Gale says. “She runs across the street and into the house. Rory runs after Rue and they all disappeared into your house.”

“And why didn’t you go after them?” I ask angrily.

“The door locks automatically so we couldn’t get in,” Johanna replies. “And Rue left the door to your bakery unlocked, so we stayed to make sure that no one walked in.”

“Oh crap,” Peeta grumbles. “I’m writing her up. I’ll catch up with you guys inside.” He walks down the steps.

“Didn’t you forget to kiss Gale goodbye?” Johanna says with a cackle.

Peeta gives her the finger.

I unlock the door and walk in. I can hear Rue pleading with my sister. Rushing up the stairs, I find her in the hallway. Her head is against the door. Rory sits on the floor and when he sees me, his eyes widen. I don’t realize how upset I must look.

“Move,” I tell Rue and she moves aside quickly. Knocking on the door, I put my mouth next to it. “Prim, it’s me. Open the door, please.”

I hear footsteps and then the knob turns. It opens quickly and Prim, red and puffy-eyed, emerges from the room. Her eyes zero in on Rory who is now sitting up, and then at Rue, who stands next to me.

“Get out,” she tells Rue, her voice cold.

Rue’s lip is trembling. “Please, Prim, I’m so sorry,” she says.

My sister is shaking her head. “You’re not sorry. Don’t lie to me.” She walks toward Rue. For someone so petite, she can be scary.

“It was my fault,” Rory interrupts and he looks at Prim. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. I used to be your friend. Rue is your best friend. Please, don’t do this to her.”

“I’m doing this to _her_?” She looks up at him and her eyes are cold. “I didn’t go behind my best friend’s back and take her ex.”

“Please, Prim, tell me what I can do to make this better,” Rue begs, her own face wet.

Prim looks at her. Her eyes are suddenly dry and her voice is hard when she speaks again.

“Choose. You can’t have both of us,” Prim tells her.

For a moment, I can’t quite believe what she has said. Prim has never been so cruel. At the same time, though, she has never been betrayed like this.

Everyone is silent. I watch Rue look between both of them. She steps towards Prim.

“I choose Prim,” she says and her voice breaks as she looks up at Rory. “I’m sorry.”

“Rue, you didn’t lock up,” I say to her. “Peeta will probably want to talk to you.”

She nods wordlessly. Then with a final look at Rory, she walks downstairs.

Prim stands in the hallway with her arms crossed. She doesn’t look happy that Rue chose her, but she doesn’t seem upset either.

“I hope you’re happy,” Rory tells her. “You broke up with me, Prim, remember? I thought we were friends at least. Friends don’t hurt each other. They don’t make them choose.”

Prim’s bottom lip quivers slightly at his words.

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Prim,” he says. “You can’t make everyone around you miserable just because you’re miserable.”

 “Stop,” I tell him suddenly. “Gale and Johanna are downstairs. Go home.” He whips around and stomps down the stairs. I turn to my sister. “Prim—“

She goes right back into her room, slamming the door behind her.

++++++

“I wrote her up,” Peeta tells me later that night.

We lay in our new bed. After two weeks on the couch, we decided to bite the bullet and get a new one.  While I was recovering from my D&C, Peeta slept on the floor. The moment I saw his slight limp because of it, I took us to a mattress store on Geary.

It’s been hard to get back into the groove of things. I cried for a bit, a mixture of hormones and sadness over our two losses. Peeta has been there, his arms always ready to hold me. His kisses bring me out of my sad days. When his kisses don’t work and I can’t find the will to get up, then he stays in bed with me.

Lately, there have been more good days than bad.

Except for today.

“How did Rue take it?” I ask. I think of her tear-stained face and feel a rush of sympathy for her.

“She just nodded and signed the write up form,” he replies. “I felt horrible. She cried all over the form. So…I ripped it up.” Peeta looks over at me. “I’m too soft, aren’t I?”

I shake my head. “No, you did the right thing,” I tell him. “I really can’t believe that Prim made Rue choose.”

“She’s young and impulsive,” he reasons. “Prim probably didn’t mean it.”

“I guess so.”

Lying back, I turn away from him to turn off my light. My eyes meet the framed sonogram of Bean. One day, I know I’ll have to put the picture away. Instinctively, my finger brushes against the white spot. The dream is still vivid. Her smile, Peeta’s smile, is still engrained in my heart.

I feel him shift and his arm reaches over to pull me to him. I sink my back against his chest and the rest of my body molds itself against him. I feel his lips brush against my shoulder. He moves the strap of the tank I wear aside and kisses the skin there.

A quiet moan escapes my mouth and when I turn, our lips meet. Our kisses are well-practiced and we already know how which caress of the tongue means what. A rough stroke of his tongue tells me to lay back. He wants my obedience. I, of course, do what he asks.

“Take off your shirt,” he orders. I raise an eyebrow and he cracks a grin. “Please?”

Sitting up, I remove my tank top and toss it to the ground. I lay back down and he silently looks me over.

“Close your eyes,” he whispers into my ear.

Once again, I listen and close my eyes. I listen to his soft breathing and then feel his lips on my stomach. He brushes against my skin lightly, but a tingle spreads throughout my body. I clench my thighs together in pleasure.

He alternates between grazing and sucking the skin of stomach. When the tip of his tongue traces up my stomach, I moan again as my hand grabs the back of my pillow.

“Are we…” I can’t finish my sentence because his lips have moved up to my chest.

“What?” he asks, his voice soft.

His mouth finds my nipple and he gives it a light suck. My hips arch and the heat in-between my thighs increases. I hear him chuckle. He is enjoying my lust filled misery.

“Are we going to fuck?” I blurt out. Now I’m glad that my eyes are closed. I don’t want to see his reaction to my outburst.

“No,” I almost burst into tears. “I’m just going to touch your tits until you come.”

He says it so calmly that for a moment, I don’t realize what he’s said.

“What?” I open my eyes and look at him. He gives me a smirk, his lips just barely grazing my collarbone.

Peeta doesn’t respond. Instead, his mouth finds my breasts again. His lips capture my nipple and a hand reaches to my other one, teasing it to a hard peak. I cross my legs creating a friction in my already damp center.

“You’re beautiful,” he says, his mouth against my heated skin. “We’re going to work our way slowly to where we were.” Peeta looks up at me and my heart leaps. “I love you. I don’t want to just fuck you. I want to make love to you. You deserve that.”

And then I am crying. Peeta tears himself away from me. I draw my knees up to my chest.

“Katniss, what’s wrong?” he asks worriedly. “I pushed you, didn’t I?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I say through the tears.

The feelings come in waves and they come unexpectedly. Annie has talked to me about this already. The last time, she suggested an anti-depressant if it didn’t improve. Talks of drugs bring me back to my mother’s time at the ward in UCSF. I tell myself that I can get past this.

When Peeta pulls me to him, I don’t resist. Instead, my head finds its way to his chest and he lays down with me. I can feel him undo my braid. He says that it calms him. I don’t ask for an explanation. I want to bring him whatever sort of comfort I can. He has lost just as much as me.

“It’s okay to be sad,” he tells me. “No one is expecting us to get better right away. We have to heal.”

“How?” I ask and place my hand where I can feel his heart beating.

“Give us time,” he says. “Sometimes, I have a hard time getting up in the morning, too.” He kisses the side of my head.

“I thought I was ready,” I tell him. “I’m so sorry.”

“One day, we’re just going to look at one another and we’re going to know that’s it the perfect moment,” Peeta assures me. “Until then, we take our time. I’m not going anywhere.”

He covers us with the blankets.

We lay in silence for a few minutes. Prim has not bothered to turn any music on. She must have fallen asleep because not a peep has come out of her room.

“Peeta?” I look up at him. “You said ‘tits’, didn’t you?”

He smacks his hand against his forehead, embarrassed. “Yeah, I did.”

“Kind of kinky.” I smile when I see him blush.

“I try,” he replies sheepishly. “I want you to be satisfied.”

“Is there anything I can do?” My hand reaches for his waistband. He is hard and lying against him topless is probably not helping. However, he stops my hand and instead entwines it with his.

 “Stay,” Peeta says. “Just stay with me.”

++++++

The doorbell rings in the middle of the game. The Giants are batting and bases are loaded. We are in the eighth inning. Peeta is glued to the television with a bowl of cereal in his hands.

“They’re going to mess up,” I joke. “It’s always during these last innings when everything changes.”

Peeta glares at me.

I put my hands up in surrender. Getting up from the couch, I go to the door. When I open it, I’m surprised to find a tall blonde boy in front of me. He looks familiar.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“Hi, I don’t know if you remember me,” he begins. “My name is Derek. I was just wondering if Prim was home?” He looks at me nervously.

I step aside so he can come in. Peeta’s eyes narrow when he sees the teenage boy.

Big brother Peeta is officially in the house.

“Prim!” I call out. “There’s someone here to see you!”

We hear her door open and her light steps coming down the stairs. Prim enters the room in a black oversized “I Hella Love SF” hoodie and dark grey leggings. Her blond hair is braided in a fishtail over one shoulder and she is barefoot. When I look at her toenails, I notice one set is painted a dark red.

Her eyes, however, are sad and tired with dark circles under them. She hasn’t talked to Rory in a week. Rue calls the house, but their conversations are strained and awkward.

“Derek? What are you doing here?” Prim touches the tip of her braid nervously. “We haven’t had a tutoring session in months.”

“I was in the neighborhood and uh--I was wondering if you were going to the Prom,” he starts. “I mean, I know that you’re helping out with the decorating and everything.”

Peeta has lowered the volume on the television, but his eyes remain on the screen. I stand awkwardly to the side of the teenagers. I don’t want to disrupt anything.

“I was helping, but I’m not sure if I’m going anymore,” she tells him.

“Oh.” He looks disappointed for a moment but then seems to collect himself. “I don’t know if you would reconsider, but I wanted to know if you would come –with me.”

“What?” Prim looks confused.

“Will you go to the Prom with me?” Derek asks.

“Why would you want to go with me?” Prim shifts from one foot to another. “Didn’t you hear about everything that happened? I’m sure that there are other less drama-filled girls that you could take.”

“I want you.” His eyes look at her earnestly. “You’re pretty and smart. I like talking to you.”

Prim is silent for a moment. Then she looks at me.

“Your choice, sweetie,” I tell her and join Peeta on the couch. We wait.

After a moment, she walks over and kisses him on the cheek. “I’d love to.”

Derek’s face lights up and he picks Prim up and lifts her into the air. She giggles at his behavior. I put my hand on Peeta’s shoulder to stop him from getting up and pummeling the boy.

“Stand down,” I say. He looks at me for a moment before giving me a light kiss on the lips.

“What was that for?”

“Your smile,” he tells me. “You haven’t smiled like that in a long time.”

++++++

For a quick second, I can’t believe what I’ve seen. What was SHE doing there? I’m never jealous, but there was a familiarity in their movements. Something too close for people who have only seen one another during an event for Snow.

I’ve had coffee with Glimmer. She was at the memorial service. I considered her a friend.

I’m an idiot.

_Don’t cry._ I’m practically across the street from home. The home I’ve created with my husband. The lying, cheating—

I slam into someone. When I look up, I see the concerned face of Cato. “Hey, Katniss. You okay?”

I’m so choked up. _Don’t cry_. I just shake my head and he puts an arm around me.

“Katniss!” Peeta is running over to me. Glimmer is behind him. Her thigh high boots make it difficult to run. They both look upset.

“Don’t talk to me, Mellark,” I say. “Sleep at Dad’s tonight. Get your stuff now—“

“Katniss, have I given you any reason to not trust me?” Peeta asks me.

I think for a moment. “No.” His hand goes to my face. “Don’t touch me!” Peeta draws back, hurt.

“You don’t understand,” Glimmer says to me. “It’s not what you think.”

“Why don’t we take this inside?” Cato suggests gently and leads me back to the bakery. He meets their eyes and both of them glare at him. They look almost…jealous.

In the bakery, Cato leads me to a table away from the window. “Have a seat, darling.” He pulls out the chair for me, then proceeds to sit next me. Glimmer takes the seat across from him. After Peeta puts up the ‘On Break’ sign at the door, he sits across from me. I clasp my hands and place them on top of the table.

I see Peeta reach over but he stops himself. Glimmer looks at me nervously.

“I’ll start, since Katniss here is about ready to divorce the good baker,” Cato says jokingly. He receives death stares from Peeta and Glimmer.

Reaching into the laptop case that I didn’t realize he was been carrying, Cato hands me a folder. I carefully open it and pick out the first piece of paper in it. It is a phone transcript and I realize that they are Snow’s transcripts. The conversation is in regards to a donation increase for his campaign.

“Who is Perry Heinrich?” I ask as I read over the transcript. “And why is Snow asking for this much money?”

“Perry Heinrich is my father,” Glimmer says. “I used my mother’s maiden name in high school.” It makes sense. The Heinrich family owns a lot of property in San Francisco, and has contributed to many of the city’s projects. Anyone with that last name is bound to get attention.

“He’s asking for that amount because he gave my father a building license that wasn’t legit. My father owns a senior care facility in Noe Valley. A few years ago when it was inspected, they found a lot wrong with the building. They wanted it to be shut down. We made the improvements, but it would have taken longer to get approved. Snow helped him, but at a price.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “My grandmother stays at the facility. She has Alzheimer’s and needs constant care. Not to mention the other people there, it’s their home. We couldn’t let it get shut down.”

I nod wordlessly.

“I work for the SFPD,” Cato tells me. “We have been investigating Snow for a while now. I came across Glimmer’s case about two years ago when I was first hired. It seemed strange for someone who was working for CPS to have a file like hers, so I reached out to her. She told me everything. Then your file came up and I wanted to see if the same thing that happened to Glimmer would happen to you. It did. The Heinrich family has money, so that’s where he gets that from. But the Mellarks are _loved_ , and that’s how he decided he would get the votes for his campaign.”

“After our first event with Snow, Cato came here,” Peeta tells me. “He explained who he was working for. He told me that he had the office tapped during certain days. The conversation that Snow had with us was recorded.”

“There is a lot at stake if we move forward now, however,” Cato continues. “Your case for one, CPS will be all over it. Haymitch and Effie will definitely be investigated. So will Glimmer’s Dad. The piece of news that I wanted to tell you is this - the place in Puerto Vallarta? There’s nothing there but women coming in and out of it.”

“So it’s like a brothel?”  I ask.

“Yes, and it is not exactly frowned upon there especially if you have the money to front it,” Cato replies. He looks frustrated. “I feel like it’s just a grasp away. We’re almost there. How about you, Peeta? Any news?”

“Rogelio has seen the building. No windows on the bottom floors. No noise. I’ll ask him to continue looking.” Finally, Peeta turns to me. “Katniss—“

“You kept a secret from me.” I look him straight in the eyes. “I thought we were partners. Friends. You’ve never kept a secret from me.” I stand up and he does, too. I hold my hand to stop him from following me. “I need a minute.”

Before anyone can say anything, I go to the kitchen. Once inside, I push myself onto a counter and close my eyes for a moment. I’m overwhelmed by everything. How long has Peeta been keeping this from me? I’m hurt, most of all, because he hid something from me.

“He was protecting you, you know.” I open my eyes and Glimmer is standing in the kitchen. I feel my hands clench when I see her. _Back-stabber._ She approaches me carefully. “Nothing is going on with Peeta and I. You’re my friend, Katniss, and I would never do that to you.”

“Friends? You were keeping this from me, too!”

Glimmer stands next to me. “I did what I had to do,” she tells me. “This is important. Cato has invested a lot of time in it. My father lives in fear and his health isn’t the best, so it’s up to me to see this through.”

I can understand that she wants to protect her father. The thought of her touching Peeta, however, still squeezes my insides. I feel like I can’t breathe and the memory of their simple hug makes me hurt.

Being in love sucks.

“There’s someone else, too,” she says quietly, her eyes glowing. They look sweet and soft.

“Is it Cato?” I ask. “He’s attractive enough, I guess.”

She shakes her head. “Cato is like brother to me, a really annoying brother. He has a little too much, too.”

“Ladies man?”

“No, a little too much penis,” she tells me bluntly. “Katniss, I like girls.”

“Huh?” I look over at her. “Have you always liked girls, or is this recent?”

“No, I’ve been sure of it for a long time,” Glimmer says. “Not many people know, though.”

“And this person that you like is a girl?”

“Yes, I thought we established that,” she replies. “I’ve liked her since high school.”

“Have you ever thought of looking her up?”

“No, didn’t have to. I already know what happened to her.”

“So what happened?”

“She ran off and married a baker.” Glimmer looks down at her boots.

It takes me a full minute to process what she’s told me. Then it finally hits me.

“Glimmer…” Her eyes meet mine. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry, if I did anything that might have led you on…”

She shakes her head. “I know you love Peeta. Even back then I knew, but I couldn’t help but light up when you were around.” Tears fall from her eyes. “It’s not quite what I wanted, but its close enough for me.” Glimmer wipes my eyes. “Please don’t stop being my friend.”

“Never,” I assure her. “But you shouldn’t settle for close enough.” I take her hand. “One day, there’s going to be someone who blows me out of the water.”

“I hope so,” she replies. “Or I’m screwed.” Glimmer lets out a choked laugh. “Thanks, Katniss.”

“For what?”

“For making me happy for a very long time,” she says. “Peeta had better do the same.”

“I plan on it,” Peeta says, appearing in the doorway. “That is, unless Katniss decides to divorce me.” His tone is light but his eyes aren’t.

“I’ll let you two talk,” Glimmer says as she walks over to him. Giving his shoulder a squeeze, she walks out.

Peeta walks over to where I’m sitting. “Are you mad?”

I reach over and run my fingers through his hair. “Yes.”

“Are you leaving?” He moves his body closer between my dangling legs.

He lied. That doesn’t stop the voice in my head from saying that he wanted to protect me. If I was in his shoes, I would’ve done the same thing. My reasoning sounds ridiculous.

However, my foolish heart speaks for me.

“No.”

++++++

“So what’s going on?” Prim asks as we sit at the kitchen table.

Peeta and I sit on the opposite side. We don’t really want to have this conversation but with prom approaching, it needs to be done.

“Prom is coming up,” I start and then look over at Peeta then to her again. “We know what happens during Prom.”

“Oh, you mean sex,” Prim says calmly.

“Yes, sex,” I reply. “I know we’ve had this talk before about the basics. We’ve never really talked about how people end up having sex.”

“Well, people have sex because they want to have sex,” she replies.

“Not all the time,” Peeta says. “Sometimes people are drunk or emotional. Sometimes they use sex as a weapon.”

“Have you ever used sex as a weapon?” Prim looks straight at him when she asks.

“No, but I know someone who has,” he tells her. I turn to him, curious. “I’m sure you know who it is, Katniss.”

Clove, of course.

“You guys think that I’m going to have sex with Derek because it’s Prom?”

My face burns in embarrassment, while Peeta’s cheeks have two bright red spots on each.

“It’s not impossible,” Peeta manages to say. “Things happen.”

“I’m not a sex fiend,” Prim tells us. “Not like you two.”

“We weren’t always like this!”

“Interesting,” Prim says and clasps her hand together. Placing them on the table, she leans forward. “So, you made each other sex fiends?”

Peeta looks over at me and I can hear him groan in frustration. We are being one upped by a sixteen year old.

“Sex can be good,” Peeta finally says. “With the right person.”

“So everyone else before my sister was horrible?” she asks and then Prim looks at me. “And the same for you, you think every other guy was bad?”

“No,” Peeta says.

“Yes,” I tell her.

“You think that everyone else sucked before me?” Peeta asks and takes my hand. He turns so his knees face my chair and he pulls me over to sit on his lap. He looks up at me with a proud glint.

“Keep in mind that I don’t have much to go on,” I reply. “Obviously, you’ve had better experiences. I suppose Clove was good for something.”

“I’ve never made love to anyone else but you,” he says to me. “That’s ten times better than any other experience. Sit down, Prim.”

I look over and Prim is halfway off her chair.

“Dammit,” she mutters as she sits back down. “I’m not going to do anything. Believe me.”

“We do believe you,” I tell her. “We’ve been there, though, so we know that things can get out of hand.” I hesitate before reaching into my cardigan pocket. “Take these. You might not need them now, but you could later.”

“Much later,” Peeta adds. “Like when you’re forty.”

Prim picks up the box and then looks at us. She is insulted by our lack of trust in her.  “Condoms?”

“Yes, condoms,” I say. “You have any questions?”

Prim doesn’t respond. Instead, she opens the box and takes out one of the foil packets. Ripping it open, she grabs a banana from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table. She then proceeds to unroll the condom onto the banana holding the tip of it expertly as she does.

Then she places it in front of us.

“No questions.”

With that, she leaves the table.

++++++

“It is really beautiful up here,” I say as I look out at the scenic view on the deck. The house is gorgeous, with floor to ceiling windows and wood in-between. Solar panels are placed atop the ceiling. “Thanks for letting us come over, Beetee.”  

We are having dinner in Beetee and Enobaria’s Hillsborough home. I have been trading e-mails with the couple for the last week.  Enobaria invited us over for Friday night dinner in her last e-mail.

“Of course,” he says as he hands me a glass of wine. “You have a lovely family.”

I look over at Prim who is sitting at the edge of the pool. Her feet dangle in the water. Next to her is Bailey, Beetee and Enobaria’s dog.  Bailey sits contently as Prim scratches the back of his ears. The little Pomeranian has been by her side since we arrived about fifteen minutes ago.

Peeta is chatting with Wiress and Bru, Enobaria’s brother. My husband meets my eyes and gives me a wink.

“They keep me young,” I reply jokingly. “When should we be expecting Enobaria?”

“I’m here!” Enobaria shouts as she walks out onto the deck. Her heels click on the wood as she rushes towards us. “I’m so sorry I was late, darling!” She gives Beetee a quick kiss and he blushes. She turns and gives me a bright smile. “You must be Katniss!” Enobaria gives me a hug and I can smell her daisy scented perfume.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Enobaria.”

She is beautiful. Her dark hair is wrapped in a thick bun at the nape of her head and her skin is bronzed. The dark grey dress that she is wearing is smooth over the curves of her body. She is wearing stillettos and she towers over her husband in them. He doesn’t seem to mind.

“E, please,” she tells me. “My actual name is a mouthful. Not as bad as my brother’s, though.” She leans down next to my ear. “His full name is Brutus. He hates it when I tell people.”

Peeta comes over to us. “E, this is my husband Peeta,” I tell her. “Peeta, this is E.”

“E?” He shakes her hand. “It’s not Enobaria?”

“Did my brother tell you?”

“Yes.”

“What a butthead,” she mutters. Peeta laughs and I take his hand.

Prim approaches us shyly. She is holding Bailey in her arms. When the dog sees his master, he begins to bark happily.

“Oh, Bailey!” E takes the dog who is struggling to get to his owner. “I see you have a new friend.” E gives my sister a kind smile. “You must be Prim. I’m Enobaria, but please, call me E.”

“You’re so tall. You’re like a supermodel,” Prim says in amazement.

“Hardly, darling.” E slips off her heels with one hand as she holds Bailey with the other. Without them, she is the same height as her husband. “See? I’m back to Earth.” She looks over at Beetee. “Dinner’s ready.” She whistles at Bru and Wiress, who grab their glasses of wine so they can head inside.

Peeta and I follow them into the house. Prim walks adoringly next to E.

“Are you jealous?” Peeta asks me. “I think Prim has a new idol.”

“Of course not,” I reply and I turn to him. We stop in front of the sliding glass door. “As long as I’m still your idol.”

Peeta pulls me to him and I wrap my arms around his neck. He gives me a quick kiss. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.” I smile up at him, though the guilt runs through me.

He hasn’t put a hand on me since the night that I cried. I know that we should take our time. I’ve talked to Annie and told her about that night. She prescribed a mild anti-depressant, but I haven’t taken it. I don’t want false happiness or false healing. I want it to be real.

Even if it takes forever to be okay.

That doesn’t stop me from feeling bad for Peeta. Once upon a time, we had great sex. Now we can barely touch one another without me having some sort of fit.

“You okay?” Peeta is looking over at me. “You blanked out for a bit.”

I give him a weak smile. “I’m fine,” I reply. Everyone is at the table and looking at us curiously. We walk into the house and Peeta closes the door behind him. After he pulls out my chair for me, Peeta takes the seat next to me. Prim sits on my other side.

“So Katniss, how long have you and Peeta been married?” Bru asks as he starts serving himself from the salad bowl. He has the same coloring as E. While her eyes are more almond shaped, Bru’s eyes are narrow.

“About two years,” I reply as I place my napkin on my lap.

“Seems longer,” Prim remarks offhandedly.

Wiress, who sits next to Bru, gives me a smile before addressing Prim. “How so?”

“They liked each other way before then,” Prim says. “Everyone knew it but them. I wasn’t really surprised when they got married.” She looks over at us. “Katniss and Peeta always seemed to be the one thing I could rely on. No matter what has happened, they’ve stuck together.”

I feel my eyes water. _Not now._ I feel Peeta pat my thigh under the table.

“Well said, Prim,” Beetee tells her. “It is nice to have something that you can rely on.”

“How did you and E meet one another?” Peeta asks as he caresses my thigh. What was supposed to be a gesture of comfort causes a heat to travel throughout my body.

“I was actually Bru’s roommate at Cal Poly,” he tells us. “He was in Engineering while I was in Environmental Architecture. When I first started my company, it was just Wiress and I.”

“I was actually looking for a roommate for my apartment in SOMA,” Wiress continues. “I knew Bru through Beetee and he suggested his younger sister, E.”

“I had just earned my Business degree from San Jose State,” E says, taking over where Wiress left off. “Since she knew my major, Wiress wanted me to help in organizing the company. They had probably 20 employees then, but the number was steadily growing.”

“I remember the day I met her.” Beetee looks over at his wife with a grin. “Dark cropped hair and a very short skirt.”

“I told her not to wear it,” Bru added. “It didn’t look professional. E was convinced that she would get hired based on her skills.”

“And I did!” E looks at her brother triumphantly. “I also got a date, too.” Beetee blushes at the statement.

“Were you mad when you found out that Beetee and E were together?” Prim asks Bru. “I mean, you were friends with him first and all. And E is your sister…”

“You don’t have to answer,” I tell Bru.

“No, that’s fine,” he replies. “I was at the beginning. Wiress talked me down though. She told me that they were in love. They were happy and that wasn’t going to change even if I didn’t talk to them.” He gives his sister a smile. “If you spend your time angry, then you miss out on other wonderful things and wonderful people. E, Beetee and Wiress are my family. I didn’t want to miss out on any moments with them.”

Prim remains silent for the rest of the evening.

++++++

“Can I ask you guys something?” Prim asks as we drive back to the city. We are on the 101, just passing Candlestick Park.

“Shoot,” Peeta tells her and then looks over at me.

“Do you think I’m being selfish about Rue and Rory?” she asks quietly.

“Do you think you’re being selfish?” I reply carefully and I turn to look at her from the front seat.

“I hate being mad at them,” Prim admits to us. “Everyone is telling me that it’s messed up.”

“What do you think?” Peeta asks. “Fuck everyone else.”

“I’m tired.” Prim wipes her eyes and tries to stop her trembling lip. “I just hate admitting that I was wrong. Also, I guess I always assumed that it would be Rory and me.”

“And now?” I meet Peeta’s eyes and he is already making the appropriate lane changes.

“I’m not sure of anything.” She looks at me from the rearview mirror. “I guess that’s how it supposed to be though when you’re my age.”

Prim is silent for a moment. We wait for her. 

Finally, she speaks. “Can we make a stop at Rory’s house?”

“Already on our way,” Peeta tells her and I put a hand on his thigh. I can feel him tense at my touch and he looks over at me. I tease him, he teases me. It’s a vicious cycle that neither one of us wants to escape.

“Thanks.” Prim goes quiet as we exit onto Brisbane. I already know the route. We had a high school friend who we use to have some great parties in his house around this neighborhood. We find our way out of Brisbane and into the Excelsior. We can take Ocean Avenue into the Sunset District where Rory’s house is.

“You okay there?” I ask her.

“Nervous, I guess,” Prim replies. She looks determined, however.

When we are finally parked in front of the house, I turn to look at Prim. “What are you going to say?”

“I’m going to say that I don’t want to miss out on any moments with either of them,” she tells me.

Taking a deep breath, she gets out of the car. We watch her walk to the front of the house. The Hawthorne home is similar to all the other houses on the block, two floors with a metal gate opening. When she rings the doorbell, we can see Rory coming down the stairs.

When he pushes open the gate, Rory doesn’t hesitate to pull her in for a hug. We can hear Prim sobbing.

“That’s nice,” Peeta says as we watch them. He looks over at me. “If only it had been that easy with Gale and me.”

“Yes,” I reply with a laugh. “Isn’t fighting each other an equivalent, though? Should I call Gale and tell him that you need a hug?”

“No, thanks.”

Peeta puts an arm around me and I scoot so that I am nestled against his body. I reach over to turn the radio on.

_“If you're going to San Francisco_  
 _Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair_  
 _If you're going to San Francisco_  
 _You're gonna meet some gentle people there…”_

“How very Haight-Ashbury of you,” Peeta tells me. “I think my song choices are rubbing off on you.”

“I’m named after a plant, so what did you expect,” I reply.

“Looks like Prim and Rory are friends again.”

I look over and Prim is talking to him animatedly. Rory has an arm around her.

“They look like adults,” I say.

“They’re only sixteen,” he tells me.

“Soon they’ll be going to college.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “She’ll be out of the house.” It’s hard to fathom that Prim is old enough to drive, to go to the prom, and even have sex. I cringe at this thought.

“Are you having empty nest syndrome already?” I meet his eyes as he looks down at me. Even he looks older to me; it’s all in his eyes. There’s a change in them. I can’t really place it.

“Don’t be stupid,” I say softly. “I’m not sentimental.”

“You’re her mother, Katniss.” He looks into my eyes and I reach over to trace his chin. “Everything great about Prim is because of you. So it’s okay to be sad about her growing up.” He leans down and brushes his lips over mine. “When she’s gone, you’ll still have me.”

“I know I don’t tell you enough, but thank you for loving me.” I reach up to kiss the corner of his mouth. He looks at me for a moment, his eyes dark. My stomach flips.

“Come here,” he growls and our lips meet again. I suck at his bottom lip and he groans. I laugh into his mouth hearing it and Peeta slips his tongue into mine. I eagerly respond, letting my tongue dance slowly against his. He caresses his lips against mine and my hands reach for the back of his head. I grab his hair and he pulls me to him so that my chest is pressed against his.

“Hey guys?”

We pull apart to see Prim and Rory staring at us from my open window.

“Hi Rory,” I manage to say.

“Hey, Katniss,” he replies, grinning. “Hey, Peeta. Sorry to bother you while you were, uh—busy.” I look down and realize that Peeta’s hand is somewhere it shouldn’t be. I quickly move it off my chest.

“Sorry,” Peeta say quietly.

“Do you see what I have to deal with?” Prim tells him.

“They’re not so bad.”

“Did I tell you that they gave me condoms? Apparently, they think I’m a sex fiend like them.”

He grins. “Wait till I tell Gale and Johanna!”

I try not to cover my face.

++++++

“Prim?” I knock on her door. “Derek is downstairs. I wouldn’t leave him down there too long with your brothers.”

“I’m ready. You can come in.”

I open the door and gasp. Prim stands before me in a one-shoulder mauve dress. The strap is decorated with roses and the gathered waist emphasizes her womanly figure. The skirt reaches above her knees and on her feet is are delicate, silver-strapped heels.

Cinna did a great job on her hair. Her hair is braided but Cinna has tucked the tail so that the back resembles an elegant chignon, while the top of her head is teased so there is volume at the top. Jewels are placed around her hair.

She is perfect.

“You look beautiful,” I say tenderly. “Wait until Derek sees you!” I look around. “Where’s Rue?”

“I’m here.” Rue walks into the room in a burnt orange dress. It is knee-length like Prim’s, but the skirt is more voluminous. The sweetheart neckline emphasizes her slight bust. The front part of her hair is pinned back, while the rest of her hair is in tight curls against her shoulders. She looks worriedly at Prim. “Do you think that Derek’s friend will like it?”

“He is going to adore you,” Prim assures her.

They have made up nicely and seem to be closer than ever.

“I’m going to make sure that no one has killed Derek down there,” I tell Prim. She nods happily and suddenly she is in my arms. “You look like an angel.”

“But I’m all devil,” she replies jokingly. “Just kidding.”

“We’ll see you downstairs.”

I close the door and walk slowly down the stairs. I wish Mom and Dad were here more than ever. I just hope they think that I’m doing a good job.

When I get to the last step, I see Derek sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.  Peeta, Wheaton, and Rye sit on the couch. Dad sits in the chair opposite Derek. I smile at the fact that all of them have cameras resting on the coffee table.

“So Derek, what do you plan to major in?” Wheaton asks when I walk in.

“I’m not really sure,” Derek replies and looks over at me.

“Why?” My brother continues his interrogation.

“Because I’m sixteen and don’t know what college I’ve gotten into,” my sister’s date says. Wheaton crosses his arms in disapproval.

“What kind of car do you drive?” Rye asks next.

“A Honda Civic.”

“Are you a racer?”

“What?”

“Do you race?” Rye repeats with a glare. “I don’t want my sister riding with anyone who can get in her in a potential accident.”

“I’m not a racer, Sir,” Derek responds shakily. “I would never do anything to hurt Prim.”

Peeta looks at his brothers and then at Derek. “I’m just going to be honest. You hurt Prim, then we hurt you. I have an oven across the street and I swear to God, I’ll throw you in it if you hurt her. “ Rye and Wheaton nod in agreement.

Derek pales considerably.

“Now boys,” Dad says. “Calm down.” He gives Derek a reassuring smile. “Excuse the boys, they are VERY protective of their little sister.”

“Prim is going to kill you if you scare her date away,” I tell them. “You’ve seen her angry, too.”

The boys retreat and laugh at how they simultaneously sit back on the couch.

“I’m coming down,” Prim says from the top of the stairs.

The boys grab their cameras and even Dad takes out a large Canon camera from behind his seat. When I catch his eyes, he smiles sheepishly.

“I never had a daughter to do this for,” he tells me.

When Prim comes down the stairs, a collective sigh is heard. Derek sits up quickly and goes to her.

“Wow Prim, you look beautiful—“ A loud cough from Peeta interrupts him. “—you look nice.”

Prim looks at the boys, who pretend not to notice her glare. “Thanks. Is that for me?” She is looking at the box that he is holding.

“Yes,” he says quickly. Derek fumbles with the box and I walk over to help him. He looks at me gratefully. “Thanks, Mrs. Mellark.”

It’s strange to hear myself being called Mrs. Mellark. I realize once again that Mom is gone and it hurts. I look up to see Dad staring at me. His eyes are sad as if he just realized the same thing.

“Call me Katniss,” I tell Derek.

He nods and slips the corsage on Prim’s wrist. She blushes when their eyes meet.

“You really look beautiful,” he says quietly.

“Um—Derek?” Rue stands awkwardly. “Where’s my date?”

Derek looks at his watch and then at her. “Should be here any minute.” The doorbell rings. “Right on time!”

“I’ll get it,” Prim says and goes to the door.

When she opens it, Rory and Gale stand outside. Gale looks hurried.

“Sorry I’m late.” Rory walks into the room. “I accidentally ripped the hem on one of the pant legs and my Mom had to sew it back.” He sees Rue’s shocked face and smiles. “You look pretty.”

Rue turns to Prim. “What’s going on?”

My sister takes her hand and brings her over to Rory. She takes his hand as well.

“I love you both,” she tells them. “And I was surprised that this happened, but I don’t want to miss out on everything wonderful that could happen. I would be hurting myself if I stopped being friends with you two.” Her eyes shine with tears. “We’re supposed to have an awesome senior year together, right?”

“Right,” Rue agrees in a choked voice.

Prim takes both of their hands and put Rory’s hand over Rue’s.

“We should get going,” Prim says suddenly. “Come on, everyone. Take your pictures and let’s do this.”

I laugh at her bluntness. Peeta and his brother take picture after picture. Dad and Gale only take the important poses unlike Rye, who keeps on taking ones of Prim adjusting her corsage.

Before Prim leaves, she rushes towards me and hugs me tightly. I feel the tears well up. She’s going to the Prom. _My_ Prim is going to the Prom.

I realize that I have become a mother like Peeta said. Maybe even before Bean.

“You really do look beautiful,” I tell her and try to keep the tears from springing up. “Have fun.”

“I might sleep over Rue’s tonight,” she says and I look at her. “It’s the truth.”

“Okay, be safe,” I reply.

They leave in a flurry. Gale follows them out since he promised Johanna that they would actually go out to dinner. They had been saving for their wedding and Johanna was now tired of Top Ramen.

“We should go,” Dad says suddenly.

“Why?” Rye asks loudly.

“Because Prim is not in the house for once, dumbass,” Wheaton says and smacks the back of his head. Rye responds by pushing him and the two somehow end up wrestling one another.

“Boys!”  Dad interrupts as Wheaton has managed to get Rye’s arms behind his head. “Let’s go.”

“Okay, okay,” Rye grumbles and picks up the gym bag that he brought with him. He was planning to head over after taking pictures of Prim. “Oh wait!” He reaches in and hands a can of Red Bull to Peeta. “Just in case you need an upper.” He winks at me.

My brother-in-law can be a douche sometimes.

“Carrie is probably waiting for me,” Wheaton says and he kisses my cheek. “Prim looked beautiful. I can’t wait to see the pictures.”

“Thanks for coming.” I walk over to Dad and he pulls me in for a hug. “What was that for?”

“You’ve done a wonderful job with her,” he says as we pull away. “I swear it was Suzanne walking down the stairs when I saw her.”

“She really takes after Mom, doesn’t she?”

“And you,” Dad replies. “Have a good night, you two. We’ll see you on Sunday.”

Then we are alone.

I turn to Peeta after I’ve closed the door. Peeta stand across me and we look at one another for a moment.

“Hi,” I finally say.

“Hi.” Peeta walks over to me slowly and I press my back against the door. He cups the side of my face and pulls me in for a kiss. As we separate, I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling his pelvis closer to mine. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. It is just hitting me that we are alone. We haven’t been in a really long time. Maybe since our first anniversary and our second one had come and gone without a thought. “I’m nervous.”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Peeta replies and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Do you remember what I said? Tell me, Katniss. Is this the right moment?”

Though I want it to be this moment, there is something in me that holds back. I shake my head and he nods in agreement.

“No, it’s not,” I say.

“Okay.” Peeta takes my hand and pulls me away from the door. “We can do other things?”

“Like what?”

He goes to my Dad’s stereo system. He bought it in the eighties and because he rarely used it, it’s still in good shape. Peeta stares at the system for a moment.

“Having some trouble?” I tease. “It isn’t exactly an iPod, is it?”

“I can manage to find the power button, Sweetheart.” He looks again and then snaps his finger. Turning it on, he rotates the tuning knob until he finds a song he likes. Walking over to me, he holds out his hand with a hopeful smile. “Dance it off?”

I take his hand and he pulls me to him. His hand rests on the lower part of my back and he gently pushes my body closer to his. Our foreheads rest against one another and I close my eyes we listen to the music.

_“I'm not the sort of person who falls in and quickly out of love_  
 _But to you, I give my affection, right from the start._    
 _I have a lover who loves me - how could I break such a heart?_    
 _Yet still you get my attention…”_  

I open my eyes and see Peeta looking at me. “Can I ask you a question?” He nods. “When did you realize that you loved me?”

He thinks for a moment. “I think it was when we were eight. I decided to run away because I spilled flour all over the kitchen floor and I was afraid of Mom.”

“I remember,” I tell him and press my cheek against his. “You were going to live in that cave next to the Cliff House.”

“You told me that you would come with me,” he says into my ear and his lips travel near my neck. “You even made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

“Nice to know that my cooking skills are still the same,” I reply.

“You didn’t even hesitate.” We move slowly to the music. “I knew that it would always be me and you. We would always take care of each other. That was it. I loved you.”

I wipe my eyes and place my head on his shoulder. “Thanks for telling me.”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, Peeta pulls me closer.

We dance it off late into the night.

++++++

_“Hold me up in the palm of your hand_  
 _Lying to you is a river of sin_    
 _Your metaphors, your silent calls_    
 _Your feelings are too real_  
 _  
_Would do us good today…”__

I open my eyes when I hear my phone buzz. Opening one eye, I pick up my phone to find a text from Prim: _‘I’m safe. At Rue’s. I’ll be home in the afternoon’_.

Placing the phone back on my side table, I reach over to lower the volume of the clock radio. Peeta usually wakes up at this time to open the bakery. Dad, however, has been opening it on the weekends. He needed something to occupy his time.

I look over at Peeta who is fast asleep. We finally dragged ourselves to bed after midnight. I only managed to throw on a t-shirt before passing out. Peeta managed to pull some pajama pants on before succumbing to exhaustion.

I find myself watching him sleep. He looks younger. His hair is mussed and I can see a light mustache growing on his upper lip. It’s hardly noticeable. I remember when he first started shaving, he’d come to school all cut up. I brush his hair away from his eyelids and he sighs in his sleep.

The sun is just beginning to rise and the light begins to crawl into our bed.  It is just at the edge, lighting up my feet. I move closer to my husband and put my head against his chest. I can hear the steady beating of his heart and it brings me comfort.

He is real. We are real.

Then I know that this is the moment.

Looking down, I can see that he is hard. The morning erection was the first thing that I had to get used to when we began sleeping in the same bed.

I look up at his sleeping face and push up on my elbow for balance. I place kisses all over to stir him awake. He remains unaware and in a blissful slumber. I continue my assault and place my lips on his brow then on his cheeks. Peeta moans and I feel myself getting wet just hearing it.

I straddle him without another thought and adjust rubbing my center against his length. I lean down and kiss behind his ear. When I lick the same spot, he finally awakens. His hands cup my rear and his hips jerk as our clothed parts come into contact again.

When my lips find his, our eyes also meet.

“Good morning,” I whisper as I look at him.

He stares up at me. “This is the moment, isn’t it?” Peeta already knows my answer and he reaches for my braid. He hesitates and looks at me for consent.

“Go ahead,” I tell him and he unravels it.

In turn, I sit up and he hisses at the feeling. I reach for the tie at his waistband and slowly undo it. His hands find the bottom of my shirt and he reaches under to caress my waist. I pull the shirt over my head and I am topless in front of him. The air is cool and I feel my nipples harden. Peeta’s hands reach to cup my breasts and his thumbs run over my hardened peaks. The feeling of the rough pads of his thumbs against my sensitive flesh causes a twist in my belly.

“Peeta…”

I manage to get on my knees from my position so I can pull his bottoms past his knees. He kicks them the rest of the way off. He holds my hips and I pull my now damp panties down to my knees. It takes some maneuvering, but before long they’re off and I toss them to the ground.

Peeta guides me so that my core is just over his tip. I feel him just barely grazing me. I want him in me so badly.

“Is this real?” he asks suddenly. “If not, then I’m having one hell of a dream.”

I put my hand on his cheek. “Baby, it’s real.”

With that, I sink down onto his length. Every nerve inside me comes alive.

I rise again and when I am just barely out, I bring him back into me.

“You’re amazing,” he says as we move.

I don’t speak because I can barely think. All I can feel is the sensation of him and my insides clench at the thought. I let out a moan at the feeling and Peeta’s hands find my breasts again. He tugs at my nipples and my hips buck.

My hands run over his body and I touch his shoulders. I continue down towards his flexed biceps as he touches me and run my hands over his hard chest.  My fingers brush over his nipples and this time his hips jerk up.

“I love you,” I tell him as we move. He looks up at me in surprise. I’m never this sentimental, but am overwhelmed by the feeling of being with him. Leaning down, our lips meet and he speeds up. I meet his thrusts as I rip my lips away and groan against his mouth.

“I love you, Katniss. I’ve always loved you,” he says to me.

I come. The orgasm travels from the tips of my toes, up my body, and out of my mouth.

I shout his name. Thank goodness Prim isn’t here.

“Turn around,” he says and I comply. He hisses as he slips out of me.  I turn to look at him curiously. “Sensitive.”

Peeta gets on his knees. He pulls me to him and my bare back is against his chest.  On my knees, I lean forward and he thrusts himself back in. The suddenness surprises me and my insides clench around him.

“Are you okay?” I croak out. My voice is hoarse. I am exhausted and lean the back of my head on his shoulder. I worry about hurting him. I run my hand along where his thigh meets the prosthetic. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m fine.” He kisses the side of my neck. Peeta continues to trail kisses up and behind my ear. He bites it lightly. His hands move lazily over my breasts. “Touch yourself.”

“What?” I turn to look at him. He kisses me softly.

“Touch yourself,” he repeats and moves my hand over my clit. With my index finger and my middle finger, I caress the nub. Something stirs in me again and he slowly moves within me. The ache is different, but it still causes a spark.

Peeta puts an arm over my stomach and I lean slightly forward. The angle causes him to go deeper and I sag against him in pleasure. His arm keeps me from toppling face down onto our mattress and I can tell that he is on the edge. My fingers circle over my bundle of nerves quickly. We will finish together.

“I missed this,” he tells me and I turn to kiss him. Peeta’s movements begin to increase. They become harsher and I respond by pushing my hips in sync with him. There is nothing better than having my husband come undone.

That thought alone brings me to the edge. I whimper into his mouth as I do.

Pulling his mouth away, he cries out. “KATNISS!” Peeta thrusts once, then twice. I feel him filling me.

I fall back against him as I gasp for breath and turn to kiss his bicep. Behind me, my husband trembles; the aftershock of his orgasm still rushing through his body. I feel my own sticky skin as well.

“We’re back,” he says breathlessly and he kisses the side of my head. “I told you we would know the right moment.”

We settle back down, exhausted. Peeta sits back against our headboard and I lay my back against his chest. He wraps an arm around me and I turn my head to lie against his chest.

The sun has reached our bed and the light glistens against his skin. I feel my eyes droop and Peeta tightens his hold on me. I feel safe in his arms as I always have. Time and heartache hasn’t changed this. We have grown up. We have grown into our marriage. It hasn’t been perfect but we have come back stronger.

_“I'll lift you up, we can love or cry_  
 _Hey, I'm in love, I'll take you up again_ _Your eyes have too many colors and I can only try…”_

I fall asleep listening to the music and Peeta’s heartbeat against my ear.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Holy moley, this is long. It’s actually the longest chapter that I’ve ever written. I hope you thought that it was worth it.

A few things:

You might be wondering what Beetee, Wiress, and Enobaria are doing here. Well, you’ll see. I kind of imagine Enobaria looking like Meta Golding, who will play her in the movie. Beetee is significantly older than her. Who hasn’t seen that happen, though? Katniss actually looks up to them in my story. They’re kind of the “it” couple for her. I know Beetee’s first name isn’t Walter, but for story purposes, it was added. He will be referred as Beetee throughout the story.

The Metreon is in downtown San Francisco. It has a theater, restaurants, some shops, and just recently, a City Target has opened there. It’s really a place to hang out. It’s also close to Bloomingdales.

I like to tease my husband about the Giants messing up all the time. He gets angry just like Peeta does.

The “I Hella Love SF” sweatshirt is an actual thing. I have one. You can see them on 415clothing.com.

Katniss finally knows about Glimmer. This crush has such a bittersweet end that I felt bad for her.

Hillsborough is a city going towards the San Jose. It’s more of an upperclass area. Barry Bonds, the baseball player, used to live there. Cal Poly is actually short for California Polytechnic and it is a state college. It is one of the two polytechnic colleges around. The one I refer to is located in San Luis Obispo.

SOMA stands for South of Market and it’s a section of downtown San Francisco.

101 and 280 are the main highways to and from the city.

The dress that Prim wears is from Modcloth. Let me know if you want to see it. I can also post her hair hairdo. Rue’s dress is something I made up. I kind of saw her in burnt orange for some reason.

There is a cave close to the Cliff House. It is supposed to be haunted. In High School, my friends and I use to go there late at night just freak each other out.

Songs:

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie

The Weakness in Me - Joan Armatrading

Hold Me Up - Live

All of these songs are from soundtracks. Not sure how that happened.

Senti-smut? Smut? Not quite sure.

Chapter Twenty:  Six Months Later - Johanna and Gale’s wedding, Prim’s first college acceptance letter arrives and Katniss moves up in the Beetee’s company, all from Peeta’s POV.

Comments, etc. can be sent to my e-mail, reviewed on AO3, or ask/submit on Tumblr.

-JLaLa


	21. Part Five: Peeta

Thank you for the comments. Glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter.

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

Thank you to Chelzie for being awesome and fixing my mess.

_There she goes_  
 _There she goes again_  
 _Pulsing through my veins_  
 _And I just can't contain_  
 _This feeling that remains…_

_-The La’s (There She Goes)_

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Five, Chapter Twenty: Peeta

**_Six Months Later_ **

When I open my eyes, I see grey.

Her grey. Katniss is watching me sleep. She does this sometimes.

“Morning,” I say quietly. My hand reaches over to where her head rests on her pillow and I cup her cheek. “How long have you been awake?”

“About ten minutes,” she replies. Her eyes look clouded.

“Is it a good day or a bad day?” I ask her gently.

“It seemed like it was going to be a bad day,” she tells me. “I woke up feeling hopeless.” I feel myself falter at the thought.

She turns away and I pull her to me, her back against my chest. “It was?”

“There’s no point in feeling sad,” Katniss replies. She runs her finger over my arm which is draped over her shoulders. “You’re okay, Prim’s okay, and I’m going to be okay. At least I hope I am.”

“You will,” I tell her. “You’ve been doing great at work.” I look over at the garment bag that is hanging against the closet door. “You’re going to look great today, too.”

Katniss groans. “Is that today?”

I grin as I nuzzle her hair. “Yes, that’s today.

“Do I have to make a speech?” Katniss turns to me and pouts.  I have to stop myself from attacking her mouth. She has no idea what she does to me.

“You need to relax.”

“Says the guy who can charm the pants off a nun,” she replies with a smile.

There’s that smile.

We have become more than just husband and wife. She is my backbone. It seems so long ago that we were just college students and friends. Now we’ve both lost a mother. We’ve lost a child.

Yet somehow, we’re still standing.

“That’s blasphemous,” I tell her. “You’re going to be fine.”

I crawl down the bed so I’m in front of her legs. She smiles softly and pushes her feet up so her knees are also up. Gently, I move them apart.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Helping you,” I reply. My hands, which were resting on her knees, slide slowly down the tops of her thighs and stop at the elastic of her panties. As I slide them off, my hands briefly caress her bottom and I continue on before tossing the cloth to the ground. “Relax.”

“Easier said than done!” Katniss leans on her elbows as she watches me.

I bring my face between her legs and rest the underside of her knees on my shoulders. I kiss the insides of her thighs and she hisses. I smile before I give her wet slit a slow lick. Katniss arches and her heels dig into my back.

“Peeta… again,” she asks softly, her voice aching with want.

A groan escapes my mouth at the sound of her voice.

My tongue finds her slit again and flat side of it moves up until I am at her clit. I taste her greedily and a moan escapes her mouth. Her hands reach for my hair and her tight grip on my locks causes me to protest a bit.

The pain, however, has me hard for her.

Then all of a sudden, her phone rings.

“Don’t answer it,” I tell her.

Katniss looks at the screen. “It’s the bride,” she says. “The nightmare begins.”

“Call her back.” My voice has taken on a whiny tone.

“If I don’t answer, she is going to call the house and then it will definitely be the end of this.” She answers. “Hi, Jo.” Katniss rolls her eyes and she smiles at me. “Yes, I will be there an hour before.”

My hands reach to undo her shirt and she slaps my hand away.

 _‘Stop’_ , she mouths.

I stop and sit back by her feet. As she talks to the panicky bride, her foot caresses my erection through my pajama bottoms.

“What the hell?” I ask incredulously at her behavior. Now that’s not fair.

“Peeta just spilled some water,” she tells Johanna.

I glare at her teasing smile. Fuck it.

My hands spread her thighs and slowly my finger dips into her wet core. Her eyes roll back and I feel her push back against it. Pulling out, I replace one finger with two before entering her again.

“Hang up,” I tell her.

“No, he’s not telling me to hang up.” My thumb finds her clit and I move the two fingers in her slowly. At the same time, I move against the nub. “Jo, calm down.” The two fingers inside her move in and out. “I-I’ll check on the flowers, okay?” Her voice shakes and I increase the speed of my fingers. She is so wet. I bite back a loud groan from escaping my mouth. “Yes, for the one millionth time, I will come to your house first thing in the afternoon.”

Removing my fingers, I yank my pants down to my knees and kick them off quickly. I pull her hips towards my lower half and she raises her eyebrows, her eyes challenging me.

“You wanted to take that call,” I tell her. “Now face the consequences.”

With that, I enter her.

I’m not gentle as I move in and out within her. Katniss doesn’t seem to mind, since her hips move in sync with mine. She meets me thrust for thrust as I grip her hips tightly.

“Okay Johanna, I have to go now,” she says and her mouth forms an O when I place her right leg over my shoulder. I can feel her starting to contract around me. She listens to Johanna on the other line and frowns. “I said I’m coming to your place on time, okay?”

At this angle, I am deeper and her body grips my cock. The sensation sends shivers throughout my body.  I feel myself on the edge. My grip on her hips tightens as I plunge in and out of her.

Katniss’ other hand grips the sheet of the bed as she tries to listen to Johanna. We can’t stop now. Not when we are so damn close.

“Dammit, Johanna! I’M COMING, OKAY?!”

And she is coming. I can feel her insides tightening around me.

It takes all my willpower not to yell.

Katniss claps her hand over my mouth to stop me. “I have to go now. See you later, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Hanging up, she tosses the phone to the other side of the bed and then straddles my lap. Lifting her bottom, I straighten my legs and sit back down quickly.  She wraps her arms around my neck.

“My God, you’re strong,” Katniss remarks as she trails kisses on my neck. She knows the spots that set me off. Our lips meet in a sloppy kiss and Katniss takes me in her hands to guide me back into her core. We moan at the contact.

“We don’t own a gym for nothing,” I reply as we begin to move again. Katniss covers up my whimpers by kissing me again. She wraps her legs around my waist and rides me, her hair wild and her eyes bright with pleasure.

“Let go,” she whispers in my ear and then sucks the skin behind it.

My body acts on its own as I begin to arch harshly into her. Her hips echo my own movements in both speed and intensity as she grinds against me. I kiss her again and sigh into her mouth.  I start to feel the beginning of my orgasm approach and pull my mouth away.

I don’t realize that my eyes have been closed until I rest my forehead against hers.

When I open them, I see her grey.

They’re my undoing.

The white hot pleasure spreads throughout my body. With a final thrust, I fill her. My head falls against her shoulder as I finish. I can feel her warm breath against my neck.

“Good job on keeping it together during that call,” I tell her breathlessly.

Her phone beeps. She reaches over to look at the text message. Her eyes widen. “Oh, God.”

“What?” She hands me her phone and buries her face in my neck.

I look at the message: _‘You forgot to push the hang up button on your phone. You just locked it. Tell Peeta that I’m making Gale join his gym. See you this afternoon. –Mrs. H’_

++++++

“I’m sweating,” Gale says in the rectory of St. Patrick’s Church. He removes his dark grey tuxedo jacket. “Oh, God.”

“Aren’t you NOT supposed to say that in church?” I watch him pace the small room. “Using the Lord’s name in vain and such?”

“I don’t know,” he replies as he paces. “Does the rectory count? Why am I nervous?”

“You’re like Katniss,” I tell him. “You don’t like people staring. It makes you feel caged in.”

“I have a lot of nervous energy,” Gale tells me. “Johanna mentioned something about me joining your gym or something this morning. Maybe that might help?”

“You don’t want to do that.” I pull at my collar to cool my suddenly hot neck. I haven’t seen Katniss since she left in the afternoon to pick Johanna up. I can only imagine all the shit that Johanna is giving her.

“This is the right decision…right?” Gale is in panic mode. I consider going out there to ask if anyone has a sedative when there’s a knock on the door.

It’s Haymitch. He is in a navy suit and his hair is combed back.  I’m pretty sure that this is all Effie’s doing. As act of defiance, he has left the stubble on his jaw.

He looks over at me. “Your little lady wanted me to check on you both. Is our groom okay?”

“You wouldn’t happen to have some alcohol, would you?” I ask him.

Haymitch pulls out a flask from inside his jacket. “When do I not have some alcohol?”

I take it from him quickly and unscrew the top. I hand it to Gale. “Drink.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m doing what any Best Man would do,” I tell him. “I’m getting you to the altar in one piece. So drink. We have to get this show on the road.”

“Were you this nervous when you married Katniss?”

“Yes,” I reply. I think of Katniss in her wedding dress. I think of her smile. ”Then I saw her and it all just went away.”

Gale smiles wryly. “That easy, huh?”

“When it’s the right girl, then it is.”

Haymitch goes to Gale and takes the flask back. “Let’s go.”

After Gale puts on his jacket, he looks over at me. “Thanks. It really means a lot to us that you and Katniss are there for us.”

“No problem.”

He looks at me awkwardly. “Should we like uh—hug or something?”

I look back at him. “Why?”

“We seem to be having a moment.”

I shrug. “If you want to.”

“Will you two lovebirds hurry it up?” Haymitch tells us. “Damn bromances.”

He hugs me quickly and I pat his shoulder as we pull away.

Haymitch holds the rectory door open for us and we walk to the front of the church. He joins Effie back in the pews and I watch her take his hand as he sits. She reaches into his inside pocket to pull out the flask and puts it in her purse. He glares at her, she glares back and he retreats.

And people say that I’m whipped.

The church is medium sized with dark wood and columns on each side.  A reproduction of the ‘Pieta’ is against the left wall, along with the candle offerings. Our party takes up about a quarter of the pews in the front of the church. Johanna has maybe one or two of her relatives while Gale has a good handful. Most of the attendees are co-workers, friends, and classmates that they are close to.

I even see Delly and Chloe sitting in the front. Delly winks at me as I stand next to Gale, who is now nervously tugging at his collar. We are just waiting for the girls. There are no other people in the bridal party except for Katniss and me, which is what they wanted.

Gale leans towards me. “Now I’m getting nervous that she’s nervous.”

“You know Johanna. She is unflappable.”

He nods and grins. “You’re right. She is.”

Rory is playing a slow guitar tune when we see Vick, Gale’s brother, walking their mom down the aisle.

Vick drove up from Los Angeles a week ago and had put himself in charge of the bachelor party. I was glad that I didn’t have to plan it. That night was drunken debauchery. Vick went missing after we left one of the strip clubs. Cato, who had invited himself, got us kicked out of Centerfolds. Gale ended up sitting on the sidewalk mumbling about Johanna.

I woke up with marker drawings all over my leg. Not my prosthetic, but my actual leg. I don’t remember anyone with markers.

Posy, Gale’s little sister, is the flower girl. She walks down the aisle in pretty yellow dress and gives us a toothy smile as she joins their mother at the pew.

Then my wife comes down the aisle. I try not to look like an idiot as I watch her. I fail miserably.

She is beautiful. Her dark hair is pulled back and twisted towards the back of her head in an elegant side bun. Her eyes are lined and her lips are red. Then there is her dress, a corn silk that hits right below her feet. It is sleeveless with a deep V in-between her breasts. The space in the middle has a fringe insert as well as fringe inserts against the side of her ribs. When she reaches her spot, I notice a fringe train trailing behind her and the fact that her smooth back is exposed. It would be impossible for her to wear a bra.

The thought of running my hand down her back sends a pleasurable shiver down my spine.

Our eyes meet and she winks.  

‘ _You look beautiful_ ,’ I mouth to her.

‘ _Thank you_ ,’ she mouths back.

We turn our attention to the back of the church. Rory has now transitioned to an instrumental version of “The Long and Winding Road” as Johanna walks down.

The bride is lovely. Her hair is pulled back in a simple bun with one braid running from the front side of her hair to curl around the low bun in the back. Her dress has thin straps and her dress clings to her slim frame. It is V-neck and has silk petals all over it. They cascade all the way down her train and around her neck is a simple pearl necklace—her mother’s.

“You were right,” Gale says as he stares at her walking towards him.

“About what?”

“The nervousness—it just went away,” he tells me.

++++++

“Has anyone seen Katniss?” I ask at the table where Prim sits with Rory and Rue. Derek sits next to her and when he sees me, he takes his hand off hers quickly. I have to smile smugly.

“I think she went to the restroom,” Prim says.

“We have to make speeches soon,” I reply. “I’ll look around some more.”

The Terrace Room where the reception dinner is taking place is crowded.  I walk out and into the hallway towards the restrooms. Delly and Chloe walk out as I approach the ladies room.

“Is Katniss in there?” I ask.

“Nope,” Delly says.

“I saw her head out to the outside terrace,” Chloe tells me.

I smile and give both of them a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, ladies. You both look great.”

As I walk away, Chloe suddenly smacks my ass and I turn to them. They are both laughing.

“Such a flatterer,” she says to me. “Better save that for Katniss.”

“She’ll definitely nail you if you keep on handing out lines like that,” Delly adds.

I say goodbye and head out to the terrace. I find her there looking out at the ocean. In the distance, there is a cruise ship, the lights of it shining against the water.

“Nice night,” I remark and she turns quickly. Her eyes are slightly glazed and I can tell that she is at least buzzed. Her lips form a grin when she sees that it’s me. “I feel like I haven’t seen you at all.”

“Ditto.” I see that there is a glass of wine resting on the ledge. She leans against it. “Nice party, right?”

“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.” I walk towards her. When I am only a step away, I pull her gently to me. My hand reaches for the bare skin of her back and when I make contact, I’m instantly hard. “Did I tell you that you look beautiful?”

“I can tell that you like my dress.” She presses herself against me and I hiss when her hips meet mine. Katniss kisses me quickly and pulls away, sucking on my bottom lip as she does. One of her hands touches the back my neck and soon her other hand intertwines that one. She is definitely buzzed, I detect the taste of merlot against my lips. “Thank you.”

Inside the music has started and through the large windows, we can see that the bride and groom are having their first dance.

We begin to sway to the music. The low foghorn of Point Reyes sounds out in the distance but my mind is focused on my wife. Her heart beats against my chest and I inhale the scent of Katniss. Her perfume is clean and lightly floral.

“You’re wearing perfume.”

“E gave it to me,” she says softly. “When she found out that I was going to be Maid of Honor, she demanded that I wear it.”

“It’s nice,” I tell her. “It’s not you, though.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a special occasion,” Katniss replies as we move. “The Cliff House is really nice. They know how to create a wedding reception.”

“Do you ever wish that we had a nicer wedding?” I ask her suddenly.

“I thought that we had a pretty nice wedding for what it was,” she says.

Being at this wedding makes me realize that Katniss should’ve had more. She wouldn’t ask for it because that’s not who she is. She deserved better than what I gave her. That thought alone makes me determine to give her more now.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she says. “I loved our wedding. I wouldn’t ask for anything else. Now can we just dance?”

I nod and she puts her head on my shoulder.

_“All day long I can hear people talking out loud_  
 _But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd_  
 _Old Mr. Webster could never define_  
 _What's being said between your heart and mine…”_

“I didn’t know that they were into country,” I remark.

“It was the song that they first danced to,” Katniss replies.

“What was the first song that we danced to?”

“You already forgotten? I’m insulted,” she says.

“More than Words, right? You would think that I would remember after all the crap I get from my brothers,” I reply.

“It wasn’t that.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No, I’m not.” Katniss lifts her head from my shoulder so she can rest her forehead against mine. “How can you forget our epic first dance to ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ when we were kids?”

“The one where you let go off my hands and I banged my head against the jungle gym?” I say to her.

“I forgot about that,” she grins sheepishly.

I look into her smoky grey eyes. “Who would forget a song about the plague?”

“That’s debatable.”

“The song or the plague theory?”

“The plague theory,” she says. Her lips brush mine. “I remember holding hands and swinging around the playground. I remember that your hair looked so sunny to me.”

“Sunny?” I laugh.

“It’s what I thought that blonde was made of—sun.”

“So you thought I was sunny?” As we dance, I move us closer to the ledge so that she is pressed against it. My hand runs slowly down her spine and her lips part slightly from the sensation. The hand that rested down on her back has now reached her rear and I groan feeling the flesh under the silk. “I want you.” My voice comes out strained.

“Glad we’re in agreement,” she replies breathlessly.

Our eyes meet and my lips descend over hers. We are hungry for one another. My arms wrap around her waist and I can feel her hands gripping the back of my jacket. My tongue enters her open mouth and I stroke it against hers slowly.

At this point, I’ll take her right on this terrace with the wedding going on next door.

“Hey, guys?”

We turn to find Prim and Derek at the doorway. Our sister is grinning at us. Derek looks at the ground.

“Everyone is looking for you,” Prim says with a grin. “I told them that you were probably off somewhere doing it. And I was kind of right.”

“Give us a minute,” Katniss says, exasperated at her sister’s bluntness.

“Don’t take too long,” Prim warns. “The bride will not be happy.”

She turns and walks back as Derek clings to her hand. He is still not looking up when they disappear.

“We’d better get inside,” I tell her. “Did I mention that I really, really like your dress?”

“You’ll like it better when it’s tossed on the floor.”

“You’re right.”

“I’m really nervous,” she says to me. “What if I forget what I wrote out?”

“You’re going to do fine.” I lead her towards the door.

She turns to me and raises her eyebrows. “You want to go to the restroom?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not nervous or anything.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. You feeling better?”

Katniss grins at me and kisses my chin. “Suddenly, I’m feeling good,” she says as we walk in.

And Katniss did great. I wouldn’t have known that she didn’t like to speak in public. Every time she seemed nervous, she’d look at me and then smile.

It wasn’t until we got home and I went to the restroom that I noticed it.

All over my lips is faded red lipstick; on my chin, a single bright red print of her lips.

++++++

_“It’s this one thing that’s got me trippin’_  
 _It’s this one thing that’s got me trippin’_  
 _This one thing my soul may be feeling_  
 _It’s this one thing you did oh oh…_  
 _It’s this one thing that caught me slippin’_  
 _It’s this one thing I want to admit it_  
 _This one thing and I was so with it_  
 _It’s this one thing you did oh oh…”_

The music blares from Prim’s room. We can hear the vacuum against the ceiling. I sit with Katniss on the couch while Dad sits in the chair adjacent to us. He is a little thinner and a little quieter, but his spirits seem better than they were.

Mom has been gone for a little over six months. The pain has dulled. When I dream about her, I always wake up in tears and Katniss will hold me close until the shaking stops.

“Well, at least she’s cleaning her room,” he says to us.

We are waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. In order to get Dad out of the house, we decided to take turns having dinner at different houses. Last week, it was Carrie and Wheaton’s. This week, it’s our home.

“True. We also wanted to wait to show her this,” Katniss says as she presents an envelope to Dad. “It’s from NYU.”

“I thought she was trying to stay local,” Dad replies.

“She does, but Prim wanted options.” She looks at it. “I think she’s in, though.”

I can hear the worry in her voice. “Prim isn’t going to go to NYU.” Putting an arm around her, I pull her close. “She wants Stanford. What Prim wants, Prim usually gets.” She nods and tucks her feet under her butt. “Katniss, you worry too much.”

“I guess.”

The doorbell rings and Dad gets up. He gives us a fond smile. “Let me. You two look comfortable.”

Going to the door, he lets Wheaton in. He is followed by Carrie and Rhea, who is walking easily. Rhea, now a toddler, has light brown hair but her mother’s eyes. She is wearing a red top, black and white polka dot stockings and a pink tutu. Wheaton and Carrie are encouraging her to pick her own outfits.

“Pa!” Her arms stretch for Dad. He picks her up easily and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

I stand up and help Katniss off the couch so we can greet them.

“Kiss!” Rhea screams in Dad’s ear and he puts her down. She rushes over to Katniss. We tried to teach her how to say ‘Auntie Katniss’ but it came out as ‘T-Kiss’. Now it’s just ‘Kiss’.

Katniss picks her up. “Rhea, aren’t you ever going to get my name right?” Rhea just throws her arms around Katniss’ neck. I see Katniss tighten her hold on her.

She would’ve been an awesome mother. I hope one day that she will be. She meets my eyes and I see the same thought being echoed in her eyes.

Hope blooms precariously inside me as I watch her.

Prim rushes down the stairs. “Rhea!” The little girl looks over at Prim and bounces in excitement in Katniss’ arms. Katniss hands her over to Prim and the two go to the couch. Prim undoes her hair which is in a high bun. She is trying to teach Rhea how to braid hair—a difficult feat.

The doorbell rings; this time it is Rye and Marvel.

“We have news,” Rye says as soon as they have greeted all of us.

“Why don’t we all sit while we wait for dinner?” Dad suggests. “I think we have to do something first.”

I see Katniss hesitate before taking the letter from the coffee table drawer. She hands it to Prim on the couch. “This came for you.”

Prim looks at it for a moment. “NYU.” She looks over at us. “I don’t think I want to open it.”

“Why?” I ask and sit next to her. Katniss sits on the opposite side. Rhea is twisting Prim’s hair, unaware of everything around her. “We will support you no matter what.”

“I’m not going,” Prim tells us, a note of finality in her tone.

“It’s an important moment,” Katniss says to her. “You should enjoy it, whatever your decision.”

Everyone waits expectantly as Prim quickly rips it open. She reads through it and then puts it back into the envelope.

“I got in,” she tells us in disbelief. “I got IN!”

There’s a collective shout and Katniss pulls Prim in for a hug. Rhea squeals having been caught between them.  I get up when Prim stands and hug her, lifting her off her feet as I do.

“We’re so proud of you, Primmy,” I tell her.

Dad follows and he gives her a proud smile. He adores her and vice versa. She buries herself against his chest. Wheaton and Carrie follow. They hug her together and Carrie actually begins to tear. Rhea stomps her foot jealously until Prim brings the little girl to her side. Rye and Marvel also hug her together.

“So, what’s your news?” she asks them.

“You want to tell everyone?” Marvel asks Rye.

Rye wraps an arm around his waist. “No, you do it, babe.”

“Okay.” We look expectantly at them. “We bought a house!” Marvel pulls out a pair of keys from his pocket. “The papers have been signed and we start moving next week.”

“That’s great!” Katniss hugs her friend and then Rye. “Where are you moving?”

“We’ll be on Clement and 20th Avenue,” Rye says and grins at Prim. “Close to Hard Knox.”

“Seriously, I’m coming to visit,” she says to him. Then she grins at me and Katniss. “Especially when these two need alone time.”

“Just be sure to call first,” Rye says. “We could be busy, too.” Marvel tries unsuccessfully not to turn red.

“Nothing but a bunch of damn sex fiends,” she mutters.  The doorbell rings. “I’ll get it.”

“That’s dinner,” I tell everyone. “Everyone grab a seat in the dining room.”

“You need help?” Katniss asks.

“No, you go ahead,” I say and kiss her cheek. “I’ll make Prim help me.”

When I walk to the open door, I find a boy holding a box of our food from San Tung. He is staring at Prim, but stops when he sees me glaring.

“How much?” I ask.

“$35.43, Sir.”

I hand him forty. “Keep the change.” I practically yank the box from him and slam the door in his face.

Prim glares at me. “Peeta!” She puts her hands on her hips. “That was rude.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I respond. “What’s-his-face?”

“Derek.” Prim looks at me, exasperated. “You should be nicer to him, too.”

“It’s my job to watch over you.”

“Watch over me, not scare boys,” Prim says. “I’m a big girl now!”

“You are, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying about you,” I reply. “Even if you end up in New York.”

“I’m not going to New York.”

“That doesn’t stop your sister from worrying.”

She stops. “Katniss is scared that I’ll leave, isn’t she?” Prim turns to look at me.

“What do you think?” I ask her.

“Is she okay?” Prim looks at me worriedly.

“She has her good days and her bad days,” I tell her honestly.

Katniss walks into the room. “We’re all waiting for you. Rhea keeps asking for her ‘nudies’.”

“Nudies?”

“Noodles.” She notices that Prim is looking at her with tears in her eyes. “What?”

Prim throws her arms around Katniss, pulls away and then takes the box from my hands. She goes into the dining room.

“What’s wrong with her?” she asks me.

I lie and shrug my shoulders. “Teenagers.”

++++++

“So why did you decide to move out of your apartment?” Dad asks as we all sit in the dining room. Boxes of Chinese food scattered around the table. Rhea is now using chopsticks as drumsticks instead of eating.

Rye and Marvel look at one another. They both put their utensils down.

“Well, we’ve decided that we wanted to try to…um…adopt,” Rye says slowly. Marvel places his hand over my brother’s.

“A house is a much more stable environment for children, so we thought we should set up house,” Marvel adds.

“Wow,” Prim says with grin. “We’re going to have another kid in the family!”

“That’s great,” Wheaton adds. “Have you been looking into agencies?”

“Yeah,” Rye responds. “We have to hire a lawyer, too.”

“I might know someone,” Carrie tells them and she beams. “Rhea will have a cousin. Congratulations, guys.”

“Nothing is set in stone,” Marvel says with a shy smile. “The place we bought also needs some work since they’ll probably inspect the house.”

“I can help,” I offer. “I’m sure that we can get some help, too.”

“Thanks, bro,” Rye says gratefully.

I look over at Katniss who sits across from me. She is smiling, but there is something else behind it. I notice that Prim is watching her, too.

“We need to toast,” I interrupt.

“Good idea,” Dad adds and he seems elated at the news about another child. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that smile.

I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle from the cupboard. When I return, I see that Katniss is laughing again. She gives me a smile and this time it is genuine.

“What do you have?” Wheaton asks as he bounces Rhea on his lap so Carrie can eat.

“A 2005 Malbec.”

“Nice,” Rye says. He counts off. “So Dad, me and Marvel, Katniss, Peeta, Wheaton, Carrie—“

“None for me,” Carrie says as she looks up from her plate.

“Come on, Care.” Rye calls her that when he want something. “We have something to celebrate.”

“It’s not that.” She looks over at Wheaton, who nods. “I’m pregnant.”

There’s a silence.

“Holy crap, Care!” Rye says suddenly and rushes over to her. “Congratulations!”

I see Katniss stand up automatically to go to our sister-in-law. She is smiling, but it’s strained and I watch her hug Carrie. The two seem to embrace for a bit longer than usual and I see Carrie whisper in Katniss’ ear. My wife nods quickly.

“You okay?” I look over and see Dad staring at me.

“Of course.”

“And Katniss?”

I watch her and I can see that the smile is set. Her eyes, however, seem clouded, lost even. The feeling of dread hits my stomach.

I lie again. “She’s fine.”

++++++

When everyone is gone, I find Katniss in the kitchen. She is at the sink and I see her scrubbing. However when I get to her, I see that she has been scrubbing the same spot on the dish. The other dishes remain undisturbed.

Reaching over, I gently place my hand over her wrist to stop the repetitive movement. She looks up at me and I see that she isn’t even there. Her eyes are blank.

“I’ll finish.” I look over to the doorway and see Prim standing there. She walks over to us. “Get some rest.”

I turn to Katniss. “Sweetheart, go upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll be right up.”

She puts the sponge down and walks out. I can hear her slow footsteps up the stairs.

“I’m scared,” Prim says when she is sure that Katniss is upstairs. “I had a feeling that something was off as soon as we found out about Rye and Marvel. Carrie’s news pushed her over the edge.”

“I wish I could understand this more,” I reply. Katniss’ moods are difficult to comprehend sometimes .I get frustrated in myself, as well as my inability to help her.

“It hurts for you, right? Losing Bean?” Prim says and I nod. “For Katniss, it’s ten times worse. She carried Bean and she feels like her body failed her. In her mind, she has failed herself and she’s failed you. Carrie being pregnant? It’s another reminder that she’s a failure and she hates that. She hates herself.”

“What do I do?” I ask.

“You stay,” Prim says. “You fight.” I see that Prim has the same strength in her eyes that Katniss does. I always felt like everything great about my younger sister was from Katniss. “It’s even worse because Katniss thinks that I’m considering New York.”

“You still can.”

“No, I couldn’t live without my family,” she says. “Not just you two. Dad, Rye and Marvel, Carrie, Wheaton, Rhea…”

I pat her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere either, Prim. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“That means you can. Go anywhere, I mean.”

“Go upstairs, big brother,” she tells me. I know that the subject is closed.

I nod. “Don’t stay up too late.”

Leaving the kitchen, I walk up the stairs and turn to walk into our room. Katniss is sitting on the bed, already dressed in a long white shirt of mine. An orange pill container sits on her side table and she stares at it. It’s Ambien. She wants to sleep.

“Did you take any?” I ask as I change into sweats and a shirt.

“No.” She lies down but turns to her side, the side that isn’t facing me.

I pull back the covers and slip inside. Moving closer, I drape an arm over her shoulders. I feel her tense up against me.

“Baby, it’s okay to be upset,” I say after a moment. “You want something good for us, too.”

I feel her sag against my body.

“You know what Carrie said? She said that one day it would be us and…I don’t believe her.”

Her shoulders begin to shake from the sobs invading her body. I don’t know what to do, so I just stay.

“Just let it out,” I tell her soothingly and kiss the side of her head. “I love you so much. I’m here.” I rock her against me. “Today was just another bad day.”

The hope that once bloomed in my chest wilts and falls apart.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So this is a little bit of a filler but I like writing these moments in the Mellark family. I hope you’re enjoying them.

The next chapter will take place two months after this. We are speeding up a little to keep up with the timeline of my chapter plan. The last chapter will take place during Prim’s graduation, which is in about three months in the next chapter. We’re getting to the end.

Thank you for sticking through!

St. Patrick’s church is downtown, almost to South of Market (SOMA). I use to go there all the time with my Dad and his lady friend.

The dresses for both Johanna and Katniss are on the Bloomingdale’s site. Let me know if you want to see them.

The Cliff House is a restaurant/venue close to Ocean Beach and along the Great Highway. It used to be the site of a huge bathhouse, but that burned down long, long ago. You can still see the spots where the pools were right next to the Cliff House.

San Tung, the place where they get their food from, is on Irving Street which is about a ten minute drive from the Inner Richmond where they live. They have awesome chicken wings.

Ambien is a sleeping pill.

Songs:

“When You Say Nothing at All” sung by Alison Krauss

“One Thing” sung by Amerie

Katniss’ behavior is post traumatic and I based it off my mother’s behavior after surgery. She never reacted until after everything was settled, so I imagine that is how Katniss is reacting.

All comments can be sent to [JLaLaFics@yahoo.com](mailto:JLaLaFics@yahoo.com), submit/ask on Tumblr or on AO3.

Next: Two Months Later-Prim gets another acceptance letter, we find out what’s going on with Snow’s Philippine location, and Katniss gets news about her position at Beetee’s company.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

-JLaLa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	22. Part Five: Katniss

Thank you for all your wonderful comments about the last chapter! They mean so much to me!

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

_You think I'd leave your side baby_  
 _You know me better than that_    
 _You think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees_    
 _I wouldn't do that…_

_-Sade (By Your Side)_

Two Wrongs

By JLaLa

Part Five, Chapter Twenty-One:  Katniss

**_Two Months Later_ **

“You’re kidding!”

I look at Beetee and then E as they sit across from me in the conference room. E pulled me into the room to discuss my current position as an intern. I didn’t know that Beetee would be included in this meeting.

“Let’s go over your progress again if you don’t believe me,” E says as she tries to hide the grin on her face. “You came onto my team two months ago. Since then, you have secured three contracts for the company out of the four visits that we’ve done. Wiress is up to her knees in work because of you.”

“That is remarkable, Katniss,” Beetee tells me. “You’re a wild card. People don’t expect someone so young to understand the LEED procedures like you do. They don’t understand why solar paneling is important until you explain it to them. Then they ask us to help them reduce the carbon footprint of their building.”

“You have enormous potential,” E adds. “We’re not letting that go. Hell no!”

“So, Katniss, once again, will you join my company as an official employee?” Beetee asks as he hands me a folder.

I open it and find an employment offer letter. The annual salary is enough for me to pay Prim’s tuition to any school, including housing. I can’t believe that this is actually happening. They want me to stay here as part of the Assessment Team.

All I want to do is to go home and tell Peeta. I decide to answer them so I can.

“Yes,” I nod. “Yes, of course.”

Beetee and E look at one another before turning to me. Their eyes are serious, apprehensive even.

“There is something else that we want to ask you about,” E says. “We’ve decided to expand again. One of our other interns, Cashmere, actually just opened our New York office six months ago. We want you to do the same thing.”

“In New York?”

“In Japan,” Beetee says to me. “We understand that you have other engagements, however. You’re applying to graduate in May, right?”

“Peeta and I have already applied,” I tell them. We have already met with our counselors and have been signed off by all of our teachers. “We graduate in May. So does Prim.”

“Perfect,” E says. “We’ll need you in Tokyo by June. That should be enough time for you and Peeta to get your affairs in order, right?”

“Yes, but Prim will be going to college and I want to take her to her dorm. I want to make sure she is all set—“

“We understand, so you can come back in July. We just need you there in June to solidify the plans,” Beetee says. “Also, we want you back to go over any other detail that we might’ve missed when we there last time.”

I’m overwhelmed and E seems to sense it. “Do you need some time?” she asks gently.

I nod. “Yes.”

“Take the folder home,” Beetee says. “Discuss it with Peeta and get back to us as soon as you can. You have a lot to think about.”

“Thanks,” I say and stand up. I take the folder and hold it to my chest. I look over at them. “Just out of curiosity, you both went to Japan a few months ago. Why aren’t you coming this time?”

“Well, we’ve decided that we’re going to try for a family,” E tells me. “We’re making plans for it to hopefully happen this year. It’s the only thing that I’ve ever really wanted—to be a mother.”

I try to keep my grin bright, but inside I feel it. The sinking blueness that grips my insides and it’s like cold water has been thrown all over me.

I gather myself and smile at her hopeful face. “I hope you get what you want.”

++++++

“Peeta, are you home?” I put my bag down and pull out the folder.

“In the kitchen,” he calls back. “Just got back from the Farmers Market.”

I hesitate and place the folder back in my bag before unbuttoning my blazer and adjusting my tank. Prim won’t be home for another hour. Maybe it would be better to tell Peeta _after_.

“I have good news,” I say and grab the mail lying on the dining room table. I look through the pile as I walk. “I want to celebrate. Take off your pants. Let’s finish what we started this morning on the table.”

I look up as I enter. Glimmer and Cato sit at the table. Peeta stands at the counter, his cheeks bright, as he sorts through a pile of green beans and turns to give me an embarrassing smile.

“Hey guys,” I say after a moment. Glimmer tries to hide her smile as she sips from her cup.

“You two are freaks,” Cato tells us. “Do you have any sanitizing wipes? I’ve been leaning my elbow against this table.”

I roll my eyes and go to the sink.  Grabbing the container next to the soap, I toss it at Cato. Going to Peeta, I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his back.

“Thanks for telling me,” I say against his shirt.

He continues working. “I am not responsible for what you say,” he tells me and I can hear the laughter in his voice. “I’m almost done. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll join you when I’m finished tossing the bad beans.”

I sit next to Glimmer and she sets down her cup. While it was awkward at first, we have looked past her confession and worked our way to friendship once again. She did keep away for a while, though.

“How are you?” I ask.

“Didn’t you hear?” Cato says to me. “Glimmer has a girlfriend.”

“Cato! Quit it!” She turns red at his announcement.

I ignore him and turn to her. “That’s wonderful! What’s her name?”

“Her name is Leah Byrne,” she tells me and ignores the kissing noises that Cato is making. “She’s a pastry chef.”

“You’re seeing Leah Byrne?” Peeta says as he joins us. I stand up and he sits in my seat. Gently, I sit back down on his lap gently. I don’t like to sit on his lap, but he insists. We also only have three chairs since it’s only Prim, Peeta and I who eat in the kitchen. ”She’s a great pastry chef. Her macaroons are awesome.”

“Do you guys want to meet her?” she asks tentatively. Glimmer has told me that she has never really gone public about her relationships. “She’s going to pick me up.”

“Of course,” I tell her.

“We’d love to,” Peeta adds. He turns to Cato and hands him an envelope. “Wheaton and Carrie dropped it off this morning. It’s from Carrie’s Dad.”

The envelope is a standard size, but it’s thick. We watch Cato open it and pull out a stack of pictures covered with a letter. He reads it briefly and his eyes widen as he flips through the photos.

Cato pales when he gets to the first photo. As he continues to look through them, we watch the color continue to drain from his face. When he gets to the last photo, Cato is completely ashen.

“What’s wrong?” Glimmer asks him.

“Oh, God,” he chokes out. “I’m going to be sick.”

Peeta takes the pile from him and begins to lay out the photos on the table. It’s picture after picture of girls. Girls who are younger than Prim being taken by different men from the building. More pictures of the same girls retuning alone but some are bleeding and some have their clothes torn.

I visibly shake when I see the last photo. It is a picture of a girl who can’t be more than twelve. She is answering the door to let the other girls in and her large swollen stomach is visible though the thin shirt she wears.

“You have to do something,” Glimmer says to Cato.  Tears run down her face. “Call the Embassy. Look at her, she’s a child!”

“I have to call my office,” he tells us. Cato stands up and looks at us. “Rogelio says that it’s run by some powerful men. Some of them are officials. They visit a lot. I have to go.”

Standing up, I gather the pictures back into a pile. The last photo of the little girl sits on the top of the pile. I was scared to be a mother when I first found out about Bean. What was going through her mind?

Handing them over to him, I find myself pulling Cato in for a hug. “You’re going to save them.”

As he pulls away, Cato looks at me gratefully, then at Peeta who watches us. I know Peeta, he isn’t jealous. Cato takes advantage of that fact.

“I should’ve married you when I had the chance,” he jokes.

“Gross. You’re like a brother to me.”

“A hot brother?” Cato puts an arm around me and Peeta is now visibly red. My husband stands up and I feel myself flush at the look on his face.

“It’s time for you to go,” I tell him.

We walk out of the kitchen and Cato keeps his arm around me. Now I know he is pissing Peeta off. It always works out in my favor. A jealous Peeta always makes sure that I remember who I belong to.

At the door, Glimmer gives him a hug and Peeta begrudgingly shakes his hand. He winks at me and I roll my eyes.

“Goodbye kiss?” he suggests.

“You wanna die?” Peeta asks.

I open the door.  Standing in front of me is a petite woman with long wavy hair and large, almond shaped brown eyes.

“Oh!” she says. “Am I in the right house? Is Glimmer here?”

“Leah!” Glimmer pushes past Cato and I to reach her girlfriend. She kisses her quickly. With bright cheeks, Glimmer turns to us. “Everyone this is Leah Byrne. Leah, this Peeta, Katniss and Cato.”

“Hello.” Leah is small but curvy. Her skin is pale with light freckles on her cheeks. She wears a leather jacket, a floral tank and jeans.  The boots she wears reach her thighs. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“Peeta is a big fan of yours,” I tell her. “He loves your macaroons.”

She looks at Peeta and gives him a grin. “They are pretty awesome, aren’t they? I’ll send you a box.” Leah turns to Glimmer. “Movie starts in an hour. We should get going.”

“Okay.” Glimmer hugs both Peeta and Cato. Then she hugs me. “What do you think?”

“She’s great,” I whisper in her ear. “She’s going to blow me out of the water.”  When she pulls away, Glimmer nods slowly in unsure agreement.

“I hope so.”

I nod and give them a wave.

When they are gone, Cato goes to the open door. “That was hot. I’ll call you guys tomorrow.”

With that, he takes off for his car which is parked across the street.

Closing the door, I turn the lock quickly. Sometimes, our friends can overwhelm me with their big personalities.

As I’m about to turn, I feel Peeta’s chest pressed against my back. He kisses the side of my neck and a shiver runs through me. “What are you doing?”

“Why do you let Cato touch you like that?” he whispers in my ear. “I don’t share.”

“You’re such a spoiled brat,” I tease. “You never share.”

“Correction, I don’t share you,” Peeta says and presses me against the door. “I thought that we were going to finish what we started this morning.

His hand reaches to front of the dress pants I wear and he undoes them. Slowly, Peeta lowers the zipper as his mouth moves around my neck, kissing and sucking at my flesh. My nerves tingle each time the flesh of his lips touch a part of my skin. When he bites my shoulder, I moan and press my ass against his hard erection.

“Damn, you taste good,” he says and I can hear the strain in his voice. I press my cheek against the cool wood and hear him move to undo the button of his jeans. The sound of his zipper lowering makes my body hum with anticipation. Once he is undone, I feel him yank my slacks along with my panties down to my thighs.  He lines himself up to me and I can feel the tip of him at my wet entrance.

“You know damn well that there is no one else I want,” I tell him and turn my head to meet his eyes. Our lips collide. We are rough with one another, biting each other lips and sucking on skin enough to bruise.

When Peeta pushes himself inside me, I feel every inch of his hard flesh. My body responds by gripping his cock as we move.

“Slowly,” I tell him.

“Oh good God,” he says shakily. “Why?”

Peeta pulls out of me slowly and I suck in my breath. When he enters me again, I cry out. The sound vibrates in the quiet room. The feeling of him inside me is overwhelming. Every nerve within me burns.

“That’s why,” I reply. “If we keep at this, then I just might fall apart.”

“Slow. Definitely slow,” Peeta whispers and kisses behind my ear. My right hand is spread against the door and he covers it with his own. “I love you. No one else but you.”

“Always the sentimentalist,” I remark and he laughs into my hair.

 We follow one another’s movements. If he pushes, I push back. Peeta is determined to keep in control, though I know it must be hard as hell for him to do so.

I grind myself into our door and we move. I begin to feel myself moving towards the edge and I push against him just hard enough to let him know that I want to go faster.

“Please,” I urge.

“I thought you said slow?” Peeta replies but he quickens his pace.

“Just forget what I said.” I push back against his hips again and he places his hands on the side of mine to gain more control over his speed. I begin to feel the familiar tightening in my belly, the tension mounting as we continue at our frantic speed.  

Peeta ‘s hand moves over my clit. Then with his index and middle finger, he begins to move in an achingly slow pace over it. “Come for me, baby,” he croons.

I snap, moaning into the door as I come. My head spins from sensation that is spreading throughout my body and I almost forget to breathe. As I calm down, I realize there is wetness between my thighs; Peeta has also come. His body covers mine as I sag against the door.

I press my cheek against the cool wood once again and close my eyes, forgetting about my news from Beetee.

++++++

We sit next to one another on the couch after we have cleaned up and changed. Prim will be home soon. I look at envelopes in my hand from Yale and UC Berkeley. No Stanford.

“Maybe she’ll pick Berkeley,” Peeta says as I rest my head on his shoulder.

“Do you really think she will?”

“No.”

“Then why would you say that?” I ask.

“Just trying to give you a little hope,” he replies.

The door opens and Prim walks in. She tosses her bag on the floor and grins at us.

“Hey, guys.” She sits on the coffee table. “Any mail?”

I hold out the two envelopes for her. Prim is unsuccessful in hiding her disappointment.

“It’s going to come,” Peeta assures her. “Why don’t you open them?”

Prim takes them from my hand and opens the one for Yale. She reads it then puts it down.

“Well?” I look at her.

“I got in.” She gives us a smile. “I got into Yale!” Prim hurriedly opens the other letter quickly and reads over it. The smile that she held falls into a frown. “I didn’t get into Berkeley.” She sets the envelope aside.

“That’s okay,” Peeta says.

Prim springs up. “No, it’s not!” She paces back and forth. “I didn’t apply to any other place in the Bay Area! If I don’t get into Stanford, I’ll have to leave!”

“You didn’t apply for USF?” I ask in disbelief. The University of San Francisco is only ten minutes away from the house.

“No,” she replies. “I was being stupid, and I was mad because Rue was applying there. I did all my applications when I was pissed and I didn’t want to go the same school as her.”

Prim sits in-between us and places her head in her hands. “I’m not going to get into Stanford.”

Peeta frowns at her. “Stop.”

She looks up at him. “Stop what?”

“Stop whining, Prim,” he tells her firmly. “You got into some good schools, so you have options.”

“I want Stanford,” she says softly.

“Then be patient,” Peeta says and he puts an arm around her. “Sometimes you have to wait for the things you really want.”

I realize after a moment that he is looking at me.

++++++

When I wake up, I find Peeta sitting up on the edge of the bed. He is just hanging up his phone and his shoulders drop dejectedly. Crawling over, I rest my chin on his shoulder.

“Haymitch just quit,” he tells me.

“What?”

“Snow said he was going to sack Effie,” Peeta informs me. “Snow’s running scared, sweetheart.”

“Oh, no…” Knowing Snow, he will fire her anyway.

“Oh and Cato, as Snow’s assistant, called,” he tells me. ”Snow wants to see us in an hour. He’s sending a car over.”

“Shit. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Peeta replies. ”Maybe he wants to suck out my soul. Hijack my mind or something like that.”

“That’s not funny,” I tell him. “I wouldn’t put it past Snow.”

“Get dressed,” he says and goes to the closet to pull out a dress shirt and tie. I can tell that he is tense.

Getting up, I stop at the closet and pull him into my arms. “We’re going to be okay. We’re together. Prim is okay and he can’t do anything to her.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Peeta says to me. “We don’t know that. If it’s not Prim, it will be someone else.” He kisses me lightly on the lips. “This is too much, Katniss. First Bean, then Mom, and all of this with Snow…”

I see the stress on his face. How could I not have seen it sooner? I am a horrible wife.

“Oh, baby,” I say and I cradle his face in my hands. “If you ever feel like it’s ever too much, then you have to tell me.”

“How could I?” he replies quietly. “You were even worse off than me. I will never be able to understand how it feels to lose someone you carried inside you.”

“I’m sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t come to me.” I sigh and look up at him. “You didn’t carry Bean but that doesn’t mean that you have to hurt less. You lost your mother and she was only my mother-in-law. Should I hurt even less than you?”

He shakes his head, his eyes full of pain and worry.

“Well, okay then.” I run a hand through his hair. “Now, let’s get ready.”

“You would’ve have been a great mother,” he tells me. Peeta rests his forehead against mine.

“One day I will be.”

++++++

“Sit down,” Snow tells us.

There is an obvious change in him. He looks unkempt and there is a wildness in his eyes. I look over at Peeta nervously.

“What can we help you with?” I ask and cross my legs. 

“Mrs. Mellark, let’s not pussyfoot,” he tells me. “I know that you’ve been looking into my properties. You think I don’t have people watching in the Philippines? I do.” He sits in front of us. “Wheaton’s father-in-law should be more careful. He used his own car to drive past my building.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I state calmly. Peeta remains silent beside me, his arms crossed.

“You think that you can lie to me?” Snow asks. “You will be punished.”

“How? How do you think you’re going to punish us?” Peeta asks suddenly.

“I heard that your brother and his boyfriend are trying to adopt,” Snow says. “They’re never going to get a child.”

Peeta stands up suddenly and he is furious. “What did you do?”

“I did what any concerned citizen would do,” he says. “I talk to a few agencies here in the Bay Area. I told them that two men were going around trying to adopt. While we are all about equality here, there are a lot of groups who are highly opposed to two men taking care of a child. Wouldn’t it be a shame if one of them got their home address?”

I can sense Peeta’s anger. Shooting up, my arm shoots out to hold him back. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”

The door bursts open and Cato walks in. Behind him are two police officers. He walks over to Snow and presents his badge.

“What is this about?” Snow asks and his face has turned purple.

“Coriolanus Snow, you are under arrest,” Cato tells him.

“For what?” Snow asks coolly. “You have nothing on me.”

“Extortion, money laundering and sexual exploitation,” Cato replies. “I have a lot on you actually. Including what you just said to Katniss and Peeta.” He turns to me. “Dollface?”

“Don’t call me that,” I reply with a glare. Reaching into my purse, I pull out the recorder that Cato slipped into my purse before we entered the room and hand it over to him.

Cato pulls out his handcuffs. “Mr. Snow, please turn around.”

“I will not!”

“Then I can have these two officers forcefully remove you from this office,” Cato says. “I hear there’s a lot of press outside.”

Snow grumbles and turns so Cato can cuff him.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

“Yes.” Snow meets my eyes and glares.

I feel Peeta take my hand and we watch as Snow is led out of his office by the two officers. Cato stays in the room with us.

“Thanks for this,” Cato tells me. “Glimmer did not hold back on the press. I guess she didn’t major in Marketing for nothing. You okay?”

I don’t notice that I am even shaking until Peeta pulls me to him. Since we’ve been married, Snow has owned a part of us. We’ve lived in fear. I’ve spent nights worrying that he’d take Prim away.

I can’t hold back the sob that escapes my insides.

“It’s okay,” Peeta says and kisses the top of my head. I bury myself into his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. “It’s all over.”

++++++

When we get home, we’re surprised to find Prim feeding Rhea in the dining room. Rhea grins at us and waves her spoon in the air.

“Holy crap, guys,” Prim says to us. “Did you see all this stuff about Snow getting arrested?”

“Crap!” Rhea repeats. “Crap!”

“Prim, you can’t curse in front of her,” I say and kiss the top of Rhea’s head. “She’s very impressionable.”

“Sorry,” she replies sheepishly. “I’ll tell Wheaton and Carrie about it.”

“Where are they?” Peeta asks her and sits next to Rhea on the opposite side of Prim.

“Mommy and Daddy needed some time alone,” Prim tells him. “So, did you guys hear about Snow?”

“Yes,” I say to her. “If anyone calls here in regards to it, tell them ‘no comment.’”

Prim looks at me. “You had something to do with that?”

“No comment.”

“Kiss!” Rhea calls to me. I look at her excited face. The eyes are all big and bright like Carrie, but the smile is Wheaton’s; slightly crooked, a strong Mellark trademark. Her cheeks are full and her lips are red. “Shoes.” She points to her red, sparkly shoes.

“So pretty,” I tell her.

“Hey, guys,” Prim asks. “Did you check the mail?”

I shake my head. “Why don’t you go check? I’ll feed Rhea.”

Prim nods and hands me the bowl. Getting up, she walks outside and I take her seat.

“Kiss?” Rhea looks at me with the spoon in her hands.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” I say to her.  I hold the bowl while she spoons the cereal into her mouth. “What a big girl!” I look up and see that Peeta is grinning at me. “What?”

“You’re almost too good at that,” he remarks.

The door slams and Prim rushes in. “It’s here!” She waves the letter in her hands. Prim stops in front of us. “Stanford.”

“Open it then,” I reply.

Peeta picks up Rhea. “Why don’t I clean this little lady up?” He kisses my cheek. “I think this is something that you two need to do alone.” With that, he disappears into the kitchen.

I stand up in front of Prim and look into her scared blue eyes.

“I just want you to know that no matter what, we’re proud,” I say. “Mom and Dad are proud.”

She sucks in a breath. “I miss them, Katniss,” she tells me. “I love you and Peeta, but I wish they were here, too.”

“I know,” I reply. Swallowing back my tears, I look at the envelope. “Open it.”

Prim opens it slowly and pull the letter out. Reading over it, she looks up at me after a moment.

“I’m in,” she says softly. “I’m going to Stanford.”

For the second time today, I begin to cry. Prim leans her forehead against mine as she begins to cry with me.

“Why are you crying?” I ask through my tears.

“Because you are,” she replies and grins. “We do everything together, right?”

“I don’t think I could be more proud of you,” I tell her.

Peeta walks in, hand in hand, with Rhea. “You’re both crying!”

“I got in!” Prim says and goes to him. Peeta pulls her in for a hug.

“I told you that it would come if you were patient,” he says to her. After, she pulls away. Peeta looks at Rhea. “Go ahead.”

Rhea takes a paper party horn from behind her back and blows it. She looks at Peeta and he nods proudly.

“Thank you, Rhea!” Prim kisses the little girl. “I can’t wait to tell Rue and Rory. Derek will be so excited.”

“Why don’t you call them up?” I suggest. “You guys should go out to celebrate.”

“What about Rhea?”

“We can watch her,” Peeta says to her. “You should go out.”

“Not anywhere crazy,” I add.

She snaps her fingers. “Damn, my first thought was to get a tattoo of the Stanford logo as a tramp stamp.”

“Why don’t you just go out for dinner?” Peeta suggests. “It’s on me. We’ll celebrate another day.”

“Okay,” she replies. “I’ll call Rue and the boys.” Prim runs upstairs.

I walk over to Peeta and he pulls me in for a hug. This is not only Prim’s triumph but our own. We raised her and now she’ll be going to Stanford. I feel a little hand against my leg.

Rhea looks up at me with her arms out. I pick her up.

“Kiss! Smile!”

I do as she asks.

++++++

Later that evening, I find Peeta and Rhea asleep on the couch. She is asleep on top of him. Her mouth is open slightly and I can’t help but laugh at the puddle on his shirt. Peeta’s left hand rests on her back while his other hand dangles on the ground as he holds a picture book. I kneel down to the floor to pick it up.

Looking at the book, I smile to myself. It’s one that my Mom used to read to Prim and me.

“I bought it for Bean.” I look up at him. He is watching me sadly. “I know that by the time I knew, Bean was already gone. It’s just that I was in Barnes and Noble and I saw the book. I started to flip through it and the salesgirl asked if it was for my kid. I didn’t know what to say. So I just pretended that Bean existed and I bought it.”

“I understand,” I reply. “We would’ve been parents by now.”

“New, very scared parents,” he says to me. “But we would’ve tried to be good ones.”

“I know.” I look up at him. “Peeta, do you think that my Mom knows that I miss her?”

“I think so,” he says. “You never talk about her, though.”

“I guess… I guess I’ve been mad at her,” I tell him. “Mad at her for being sick, then mad because she left us when I had barely begun to forgive her.”

“You should forgive her.” Peeta’s eyes shine at me. “You’re not going to be your mother.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“I think so,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “I just don’t want my child to feel like they need to grow up right away.”

“There’s this cycle that’s supposed to happen,” Peeta says. “Our parents take care of us and then we take care of them like in the book. They never talk about what happens if the parents leave unexpectedly or the baby does. So we just have to make our own cycle of things.”

I open the book and admire the illustrated pages. At the end, I read the last stanza.

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." 

I close the book and look up at Peeta.

I’ve made my decision.

++++++

“Are you sure about this?”

I look at the couple in front of me.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I tell them seriously.

Beetee looks at the folder that I’ve given back to him. “It’s such a shame to lose you. You have so much potential.”

“It’s not the end of the world,” I reply. “I’ll be here until my internship ends and by then, I’m sure you’ll have found another person to take over the Japan project.”

“I wish we had another project that would keep you more local,” E tells me sadly. “We’re not budgeted for it yet. The Japan project would have added some revenue but it would take years before we find the funds to add more people at Headquarters. I’m so sorry, Katniss.”

“I’m not,” I say to her. “It will work out in the end. I want to be around if Prim needs me for anything.”

“What does Peeta think about all of this?” Beetee asks me. I look down at my hands before answering.

“Peeta doesn’t know,” I tell him. “I was going to tell him, but it’s been a crazy week for us with Snow and all.” They both nod understandingly.

Snow’s arrest had made headlines and many more of his victims have come forward, willing to testify. I turn down the opportunity. It doesn’t matter to me as long as the bastard is rotting in jail.

“I just don’t understand,” E says to me. “This was your big dream!”

“It was,” I tell her. “And I’m grateful for everything that both of you have done for me. I love working for your company. In the end, it’s not what I want right now. It’s been a dream to work for you and for this company, but things have changed. I’ve changed. I have a bigger dream now.”

I stand up and shake their hands. Beetee and E look at me regretfully.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Turning around, I open the door and walk out. I think about what I realized after I had finished reading and looked into Peeta’s eyes.

I do have a bigger dream now.

I want to have a baby.

* * *

A lot is happening, isn’t it?

Prim is going to Stanford, which is really exciting for me. It gave me that old collegiate feeling. Just a note, University of San Francisco (USF) is a different school from University of California San Francisco (UCSF). USF is actually a private Jesuit college while UCSF is the medical school.

While I know this chapter is short, I’m really happy about it, though. Katniss has grown up to me and she is beginning to understand her own feelings now. There is also a definite growth in regards to her feelings about her mother and Bean. Also, Peeta and Katniss’ marriage has really changed to me.

The character of Leah is based on a cousin of mine. She even looks like the description. However, she is married to a boy and has actually just had a baby. We’ll see more of her later.

Snow has finally got his and he will be punished appropriately. There is more about the Philippine location in a later chapter.

“Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch is one of my all-time favorite books. Children’s book or not, I still cry when I read it.

All comments can be sent to [JLaLaFics@yahoo.com](mailto:JLaLaFics@yahoo.com), on ask/submit on Tumblr, or reviewed on AO3.

Next:

Two months later: Prim turns 17 and the anniversary of Mama Mellark’s death approaches. From Peeta’s POV.

Thank you for your love and support as we get to the end. It means everything.

-JLaLa


	23. Part Five: Peeta

Thank you for all your feedback! I really appreciated it.

The Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me.

_So little to say but so much time,_   
_Despite my empty mouth the words are in my mind._   
_Please wear the face, the one where you smile,_   
_Because you lighten up my heart when I start to cry._

_-Adele (First Love)_

Two Wrongs

Part Five, Chapter Twenty-Two: Peeta

**_Two Months Later_ **

“How are you?” I ask Rye. We sit in the backyard of Rye and Marvel’s house in the Richmond District. After two months of home repairs and Wheaton nearly injuring himself on the roof, the house is finally fixed up.

Unfortunately, Snow’s power over their adoption status has somehow held up despite his sentence. Snow is currently incarcerated in San Quentin as the courts filter through the number of complaints made against him.

Rye and Marvel have had no luck with their applications. They are on the waitlist for China, but that could take up to two years. Katniss and I have told them to be patient. Their child will come when it is the right time.

“I’m okay, but Marvel is really taking it hard,” Rye tells me and takes a sip of beer. “We’ve applied to become foster parents but no one will talk to us.” My brother is clearly frustrated. “There are so many children out there that need homes. Why can’t we be parents?”

“This isn’t the only option,” I reason. ”There are surrogates. You can always try that.”

“You’re right.” He looks over at Katniss and Marvel. “How’s your little lady? She’s leaving Beetee’s company soon. Katniss must be upset.”

“Unbelievably, she’s not,” I reply. “Katniss seems almost—relieved.” And she does. There’s something different about her. She doesn’t seem as lost as she was.

Last month, we put Bean’s sonogram away. Then we sat in bed eating Krispy Kremes.

Since then, Katniss and I have been making a lot of changes. Although she decided to leave Beetee’s company, she has begun to look into others. She interviewed with Genentech recently, but regularly sends out her resume.

I have started talking to specialty markets in Chicago about selling our bread and plan to make a trip out there in a month or two. Wheaton will be coming with me to negotiate, as Carrie is only in the middle of her second trimester.

“Hey everyone!” Prim walks into the yard. Derek follows her, along with Rue and Rory.

I’m still not crazy about Derek and probably never will be. It has nothing to do with him. It’s just that no one is good enough for our Prim.

Katniss and I walk towards her at the same time. Together, we pull her into a hug and I meet Katniss’ eyes. We can’t believe that she’s seventeen.

“Happy Birthday,” I tell her when we pull away.

“Thanks, big brother,” she says with a grin. “Where’s my present?”

“Prim!” My little sister looks at Katniss and meets my eyes. Prim loves teasing her. I try to hide my laugh. “You’re going to Stanford, super genius. I think you need to start giving us presents.” Prim blanches at the thought.

I put my arm around my wife. ”Don’t mess with your big sister, Prim. You won’t win that argument.”

“I know what she wants,” Rue says as she walks up to us. “One of these!” She moves up the hem of shirt to expose a belly piercing.

“No.” It comes out of my mouth without a thought.

“But Peeta—“

“ _No._ ”

Prim turns to Katniss.

“Do you really think that you’re going to get a yes from me?” Katniss asks her.

“You’re no fun,” she tells us.

“We’re not supposed to be,” I say to her. “We’re your lame parents.”

“That you are,” she mumbles. “Can we revisit this after I graduate?”

I look over at Katniss and she nods.

“We’ll talk,” Katniss tells her diplomatically.

Prim and Rue join their boyfriends at the table. Marvel and Rye argue over ways to start the grill fire.

I wrap my arms around Katniss’ waist and she leans back.

“She’s going to be gone soon,” Katniss says to me.

“Prim will visit,” I tell her. “And we do get the house to ourselves.”

Katniss turns to me and gives me a shy smile. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What?”

“Lately I’ve been thinking that we should—“

“A kitten!” Prim is lifting a small yellow kitten from a box with air holes. Marvel and Rye smile at her happiness, then guiltily look over at us. “So cute!”

“Did you say that they could give her a kitten?” Katniss asks.

I shake my head. “If they ever have a child, he or she is going to be spoiled rotten.”

++++++

“I wanted to make a toast,” Dad says and looks over at Prim, who sits to his right. “To our little Prim, who has grown up into a lovely young woman. Everyone is so proud of you. Your mothers are so proud of you and so are your fathers.” He clears his throat and smiles. “So let’s raise a glass to Stanford-bound Primrose Everdeen!”

Everyone raises their glasses and Prim blushes. Derek looks at her and takes her hand. She gazes back and I realize for umpteenth time that she’s almost an adult.

I also realize that Prim is in love. She reaches over and pushes Derek’s hair out of his eyes. This is different from her and Rory; she never looked at Rory the way she does at Derek.

“Looks like someone is experiencing first love,” Carrie remarks. She sits to my left as she looks over at Prim. “So cute,” she says and caresses her stomach. “I don’t know what I’ll do when Rhea has a boyfriend.”

“Rhea will never have a boyfriend,” Wheaton states from his seat next to her. Rhea sits on his lap with barbeque sauce all over her face. He looks at his daughter. “Right, cutie?”

She burps and then smiles.

“I guess that’s a yes,” I tell him.

“Everyone,” Prim calls out. “I have an announcement!”

“You’re getting married!” Rye teased.

“Don’t scare Derek,” Marvel tells him. Prim’s boyfriend looks at his hands.

“Before I was so rudely interrupted, it won’t be announced until Monday at school—“ She takes a deep breath. “I’m the class valedictorian.” Dad pulls her out of seat and hugs her. Rye and Marvel jump up from their seats to give her congratulations. Everyone else joins in except for Katniss and I. We’ll give our congratulations privately when we’re at home.

When I turn to look at Katniss, she is smiling so hard that tears fall from her eyes.

I take her hand and she gives mine a squeeze.

“Should we reconsider the piercing?” I joke.

The smile falls from her face. “Hell, no!”

++++++

“Peeta.” Katniss is shaking me awake. “Something’s wrong.”

I sit up groggily and look at her. “What?”

“I think that Prim’s crying,” she whispers. “I woke up because of the noise.”

I listen and hear sobs coming from the adjoining wall. Looking at the clock on my side table, I see that it is three in the morning.

“Let’s check on her,” I say and sit up. Katniss goes to my side. Taking my prosthetic, which leans against the side table, she helps me put it on. I push myself up from the bed easily. It took me awhile to be able to do this without help.

Katniss shivers because of the chilly room and I go to my drawer and grab a hooded sweater for her. Helping her into it, I kiss the tip of her nose. Taking her hand, we walk out of the room. The sounds of sobs continue into the hallway.

Katniss knocks softly. “Prim, we’re coming in.”

She turns the knob and we find Prim sitting up in bed. Her kitten, who she named Buttercup, is on her lap. The light of the moon filters in through the blinds and we can see the tear tracks on her face.

“You okay?” Katniss walks over and sits facing her.

“I had a dream,” she says and wipes her eyes.

Buttercup meows and I carefully take the kitten from her lap. I put Buttercup back in his bed in the corner of her room. I sit on the opposite side of Katniss.

“I dreamt that Mom and Dad were alive,” she tells us. “We went up to Muir Woods like we used to do when we were kids. We had a picnic and Dad played his guitar. Mom put flowers in our hair and then—she looked at me and said…” Prim begins to cry again. “She said, ‘Don’t forget us.’”

“It sounds like a nice dream,” Katniss assures her.

She shakes her head. “I forgot about them,” Prim says guiltily. “I didn’t think about them at all today until Dad mentioned them. We’ve missed Dad’s birthday again. Mom’s too. We’ve only been to visit their graves three times since Mom died.”

“That’s my fault,” Katniss replies somberly. “I was angry at him for leaving and then I was angry at her. I forgot to think that maybe you weren’t as angry as I was.” She pulls Prim into a hug. “I’m sorry.”

“We can go tomorrow,” I say to her. “You can tell them your news.”

“I feel horrible because even though they are gone, I’m not as sad as I should be.” She looks at me. “I’m happy that you and Katniss are married. I’m happy that I know Marvel and Rye. I love hanging out with Wheaton and shopping with Carrie. I love babysitting Rhea.” She looks down. “I don’t miss my Dad because I feel like I have one already. Is that horrible?”

“No,” I tell her. “Dad loves you like you’re his own little girl. You made Mom’s final years really wonderful—both of you did.” I smooth her hair. “Don’t be ashamed of that. I don’t think your parents would have wanted you to feel bad.”

She nods, though her bottom lip trembles. “I just don’t want them to be mad at me.”

Katniss pulls Prim to her. “If anything, they’re mad at me. They would never in a million years be angry at you.”

“Will you sing?” Prim asks Katniss. “Sing that song that Dad use to play for us…”

Katniss nods and Prim puts her head against her sister’s chest. The vision of them fills me with warmth. My wife looks so beautiful and calm as she rocks Prim against her and croons.

_“Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?_   
_Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide._   
_So we've been told and some choose to believe it._   
_I know they're wrong wait and see._   
_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection._   
_The lovers, the dreamers and me…”_

I meet her eyes and she smiles softly.

Suddenly, an image of her smile on a baby’s face appears in my mind. Wait—baby? Am I ready for that?

Better yet, is she?

++++++

“Hey Mom and Dad, it’s Prim.” Katniss and I watch her place a bouquet of flowers in front of their gravestone. “I’m sorry that we haven’t come around much,” Prim says and sits on the grass. “I’m doing really well. Katniss and Peeta have done a great job raising me.” She wiped her eyes. “I wanted to tell you that I’m going to Stanford. Isn’t that great? Also, I’m valedictorian of my class.”

Prim pauses for a moment. “I’m sorry that it seems like I’ve forgotten you. I haven’t, really. Peeta reminds me a lot of you, Dad, and Katniss sings to me just like you did. I’m starting to look like you, Mom. I’m starting to see your face in my own, but—I smile a lot more than you did. I hope that you’re not hurt by this. I’m happy. I really am. You sent me a wonderful family who loves me. They treat Katniss and me like we’re one of them. Despite that, I miss you both, now more than ever.”

She stands up and her face is blotchy. Prim does look her Mom. I’ve never noticed until now how her face has lost that trace of childishness. She has the cheekbones and the delicate chin of Suzanne Everdeen. I still see her as the girl who I had to pick up from school when she first got her period. Where has the time gone?

I hug her. “You know that my family loves you, right? Blood or not.”

“I know,” she replies.

I turn to look for Katniss and am surprised to find her kneeling before the gravestone, talking. We approach her quietly.

“I’m sorry I never brought Prim around.  It’s just that, shit—I was so mad at you, Mom.” Tears fall from her eyes. “You left us when you were just starting to get better. I thought that we were going to be okay. I didn’t think that I would be raising a teenager when I had barely grown out of being one!” She looks into her lap for a moment. “I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m whining, because I’m not. I love Prim like she is my own. And I love Peeta so much. But Mom…Dad…I was too young for all of this.”

Katniss never really had a chance to be a child or to do things for herself. I wonder what her life would’ve been like if she didn’t marry me or hadn’t had to raise Prim. What would she have been in that life? Would we have still found our way to one another?

“I do love you both,” she continues. “I hope that you’re proud of us. I hope that you think that I did a good job with Prim. She practically raised herself, though. I was just lucky enough to have such a strong, smart sister. I’m lucky to have Peeta; he’s a good man.” Katniss turns to me. “Are you two ready?”

Prim rushes over to Katniss and hugs her. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

I watch them together as the wind blows around us. Something inside me begins to hurt.

It’s because I’m thinking of Mom. The anniversary of her death is coming up soon.

++++++

“Let me help you up,” I tell Carrie. “I swear it’s only been two weeks and you’ve gotten bigger.”

She gives me a good-natured smile as I help her stand. “Call me big again and I swear I’ll cook you and feed you to the baby.” Carrie puts a hand on her belly.

“So is it a boy or girl?”

“Don’t try to fool me,” she replies.  “I know that there’s a bet going on between you and your brothers.”

“You mean to tell me that your own husband doesn’t even know?” Carrie nods with a smug smile. “You’re a cruel woman. Brilliant, but cruel.”

“Tell me, what do _you_ think I’m having?” she asks me.

Prim, who is playing with Rhea, looks up at her from the floor. “I think it’s a boy.”

“Why?”

“You’re carrying the baby differently,” Prim responds. “A little higher than when you carried Rhea.” She walks over and feels her stomach. “He just kicked. I think that pretty much confirms it.”

Our family dinner is at Wheaton and Carrie’s tonight. Their house is beautiful; marbled floors and columns at the front entrance. The living room, however, is beige and full of plush furniture with pictures hung above the fireplace. It is perfect for a family. Rhea has a giant trunk of toys in the corner. She has taken out her toys for her and Prim to play with.

My niece walks over to me and holds out a pink plastic cellphone. “Who do you want me to call?”

“Baby,” she replies with a toothy smile.

I take the phone from her and she sits next to me. Rhea looks at me expectantly. The things I’ll do for the women in my life.

Putting the phone to my ear, I pretend to talk to the baby. “Hello? This is your Uncle Peeta, little one. We can’t wait to see you.” I look up to see Katniss watching me from the doorway. “Your Auntie Katniss is an expert at diaper changing, so feel free to go whenever she’s around.” I look at Rhea. “Your big sister is very excited to see you.”

“My turn!” She takes the phone from me and rushes off to talk to the baby.

“You’re really good with her,” Carrie remarks carefully as Katniss sit next to me. “Did you ever think of—you know?”

“We haven’t really talked about it,” I reply and look at Katniss. She looks crestfallen for a moment and I take her hand. ”Whenever you’re ready.”

“Peeta—“

“We’re here!” Rye announces his entrance. Marvel follows and he smiles at everyone. His smile, however, is strained.  They must have argued because Rye is also grinning a little too brightly for it to be real. “Where are Dad and Wheaton?”

“In the kitchen,” I answer.

“I’m going to make sure that they’re not burning anything,” Rye says and walks out, but not before squeezing his partner’s hand.

Katniss leads Marvel over to the couch. They are very good friends. More and more, I see that their relationship was probably more of a companionship in high school. When he is seated, Marvel put his face in his hands.

“We’ve been turned down as foster parents,” he says quietly.

“I’m so sorry,” Katniss tells him.

“Don’t give up,” Carrie adds. “Your child is out there.”

“Where?” he asks. “No one wants to give us a child. We’re hexed or something.”

A few minutes later, Rye comes back in with Wheaton and Dad in tow. He looks upset. I guess he had a little talk with them about their situation. When he sees Marvel, Rye walks over to his partner and is on his knees in front of him.

“We’re going to be okay,” he tells him. “We’ll have a child one day and if not, we’ll have a dog. Hell, we’ll have five dogs if you want.”

“You would be okay if we didn’t have a child?” Marvel asks.

“If it’s just you and me for the rest of our lives, then I’m happy,” Rye replies and lifts his chin. “I love you.” He takes a deep breath. “Do you want to marry me?”

“It’s not legal here.”

“I don’t need it to be legal to commit myself to you,” my brother says. “We can just have the ceremony. I just want you to know that it is me and you—forever.”

“Are you asking because you feel bad about this whole parent thing?”

“No, I’m asking you because I can’t imagine my fucking life without you!”

“Language, please,” Wheaton says as he picks up Rhea.

Rye laughs. “You see? How could I be a parent? I swear like a sailor.”

“I happen to like sailors,” Marvel replies and takes his hands. “Yes, let’s get married then.”

Suddenly, the phone rings. Wheaton goes to the table where their cordless phone is placed.

“Congratulations,” I tell them.

“Are you going to throw my bachelor party?” Rye asks with a grin. “Maybe Katniss should. She might know where I can find an all-male strip club.”

“I think you’re going to have to hire a private stripper for that,” she says to him. I look at her and her face turns red. ”You’d be surprised how many people asked me that when I waitressed on Broadway. Men like variety.”

“How about AsiaSF?” Prim suggests suddenly.

We all turn to her and she blushes. “How do you know about AsiaSF?” Katniss asks suspiciously. Prim shifts from where she sits.

“I might have gone there,” she replies carefully.

“What time did you go?”

“Uh—7:00?”

“What day?”

“Saturday?”

“You have a fake ID, don’t you?” Katniss accuses.

Prim is a horrible liar. Her face turns red when she lies. Right now, the shade of red on her face makes her look like a tomato with blonde hair.

“I’ve only used it that one time!”

“Prim, did you drink?” I ask her. Just when we think that Prim is different from other teenagers, she goes and does something like this.

“No,” she tells us. “I only used it to get into the club downstairs.”

“Who would let you into the club?” Rye asks her. “You look too young.”

“You’d be surprised what a tube dress and a makeover by Rue can do,” she replies, miffed at his statement.

I hold out my hand. “Give me your fake ID.”

Prim grumbles but grabs her purse. Digging into it, she hands it over to me. I look over it and I have to admit that it looks pretty convincing. The new California ID looks like a fake ID anyhow.

I look up at her after I read over it. “Your fake name is Willow?”

“Shut up, Peeta.” Prim scowls at me and I try to keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

“Prim, you’re grounded,” Katniss says. “Two weeks.  No dates with Derek, no phone calls from Rue. And I’m talking to her parents.”

“Ouch.” Rye says to her. “Little sister, this is the worst time to be grounded. Senior parties and all that jazz, I remember this one time—“

“What’s wrong?” Wheaton is rushing towards Carrie who has just returned to the living room.

In-between the engagement and Prim’s confession and subsequent grounding, we didn’t realize that Carrie had left the room. She is holding a piece of paper, but her face is pale.

Carrie looks at Rye and Marvel. “Do you want a baby?”

Marvel stands up. ”What?”

“Yesterday, one of the girls in Snow’s Manila building went into labor,” Carrie informs us. “She gave birth just this morning and asked my Dad to make arrangements.”

I look over at Katniss and we share the same thought. The little girl in the picture has to be the mother. She looked so tiny in the photo; her belly taking up most of her. It reminded us of just what kind of monster Snow really was, for him to have let that happen to a girl who’s barely a teenager.

“She passed away just this evening ,” Carrie tell us and begins to cry. “My Dad told her before she died that there was a young couple in San Francisco that desperately wanted to be Dads. So do you want a baby?”

Rye looks over at Marvel. “What do you think?”

“How soon can we get tickets to Manila?” he replies.

Carrie holds out the paper to them. It is a picture of a newborn with dark hair and even darker eyes.

Marvel takes the paper and his eyes water. “That’s her?”

Carrie nods.

Rye puts an arm around Marvel’s shoulders and kisses the side of his head. “That’s our baby.” He looks at the picture. “That’s our daughter.”

“Does she have a name?” Rye asks as he wipes the tears from his eyes. I look over at Katniss, who is grinning. She is happy. Unlike the last time, there is no sadness behind the smile.

“No,” Carrie tells him. ”My Dad said that he will notify the hospital when you decide what her name is.”

“What was her mother’s name?” Marvel asks, his eyes never straying from the picture.

“Her name was Sonny.”

Two weeks later, Rye and Marvel returned from Manila with their daughter, Sonny.

Just in time to introduce her to Mom.

++++++

Rye holds his daughter proudly as we stand around the gravestone. Marvel stands at his side.

“Hey Mom, Marvel and I wanted to introduce you to our daughter,” he says and looks down at the sleeping baby.  “This is Sonny Lauren Mellark. Sonny after her birth mother, and Lauren after Marvel’s grandmother. She is tiny, but strong. I think she’s going to be a lot like you.”

“We also wanted to introduce you to your future grandson,” Wheaton says and pats Carrie’s stomach. “His name is Leo Thomas Mellark. He’s going to be a big baby. They’re estimating his birth weight to be at least nine pounds.”

“Poor me,” Carrie adds as she hold Rhea’s hand. My niece sucks her thumb; she is somber like the rest of us.

I lost the bet along with Dad and Marvel. The rest of the group got to split the cash.

“I’m going to be the class valedictorian,” Prim says. “I’ve been working on my speech for the last two weeks. I’ve had a lot of time since Katniss grounded me—but that’s another story. I hope you like it, Mom.”

“I’ve expanded the business to Boston,” I say. “I guess you were right; I do have an eye for business.”

Katniss takes my hand. “We’re graduating in May, Mom. Shortly after Prim does.”

Dad places a bouquet of mixed flowers that he let Rhea pick, all pinks and purples. He kneels before the gravestone and traces her name.

“You see, darling? The kids are all fine. You were so worried about them, but they’re all doing great. Me, on the other hand…I’m a mess, Rhi. I miss you every other minute of the day. The other minutes I spend worrying about the kids for you. I love you and I miss you.” Dad weeps into his hands.

I hold Katniss a little tighter today.

We stay until we are all too tired to cry.

++++++

“You look beautiful,” I tell Katniss as we walk around the Waterfront Restaurant. It’s the anniversary party for Beetee’s company. At Beetee and E’s insistence, we are attending. I really wish that they had decided to keep Katniss as an employee, though. She seems really happy with the company.

“Thanks,” she says and kisses my cheek. “You clean up nice.”

My wife looks completely different in the black dress she wears. It is form-fitting and flatters her slim body. It has cap sleeves with a patent red belt under her chest. The v-neckline shows just enough cleavage to keep the dress looking classy. On her feet are pointed toe pumps that flatter her long legs. Katniss wears her hair down in simple waves that Prim helped her create.

“Thanks,” I say. “Do you want a drink?”

“No, not really,” she replies as we walk around.

They have bought out the restaurant for the event and it is filled to the brim with people. We walk through the throngs of people and spot Beetee with E. They are talking to a group but when they spot us, they raise their glasses in our direction.

“Katniss!”

We turn to see a pretty blonde girl pulling a boy by the wrist.

“Cashmere! How are you?” They hug quickly. “Did you just get in from New York?”

“Yes, I just came in yesterday,” she replies and then she looks over at me. “Is this your husband?”

“Oh yes, this is Peeta!” I shake the girl’s hand and she gives me a smile.

“Your wife has become quite the superstar,” Cashmere tells me. “This is my brother, Gloss.”

Katniss shakes hands with him. I can tell that he finds her appealing. His eyes roam her figure a little too long. My wife is oblivious, however.

I shake his hand. “Do you work with my _wife_ , too?” I want to make sure that he knows who he is dealing with

“No, I’m just here for the free drinks,” he replies with an easy smile.

Cashmere looks over at Katniss. “I heard about Japan—“

“Let’s not talk about that,” Katniss tells her.

Japan? I look over at my wife and her cheeks are red. She’s hiding something.

The thought bothers me, but I can’t think about it now. E is rushing over to us. She greets me with a hug and then takes Katniss’ arm.

“I wanted to introduce you to some of my colleagues from the New York branch. Can I steal your wife for a moment, Peeta?”

I nod. “I’ll be out on the patio,” I tell Katniss and kiss her cheek. She nods before letting E take her away.

Walking outside, I look out at calm San Francisco Bay. To my right, the Bay Bridge stands lit up against the dark sky. I enjoy the silence of the outside. 

“Would you mind if I joined you?” I turn to find Beetee standing near me, holding a glass of wine.

“By all means.” I lean my arms against the railing and look out.

“How is your business going?” he asks.

“Fine, sir,” I reply. “I’m expanding to Chicago soon. We are planning to distribute our bread to specialty markets and delis there.”

“That sounds wonderful,” he tells me with a smile. “Katniss must be really proud of you.”

“She’s always proud of me.” I grin to myself.

“Listen Peeta,” Beetee starts. ”It might not be my place to say, but losing Katniss is a big loss to us. We really love her in this company. She can really go far.”

“I know, Sir.”

“Then why are you letting her turn down such a wonderful opportunity?”

I turn to face him. “What opportunity?”

“We are planning to open an office in Japan,” he tells me. “We asked Katniss to head up the project and she turned it down.”

“I don’t understand why this would have been a problem if she was gone for a week or two to help out,” I reason. My insides are twisting as I comprehend what he is telling me. “When did you ask her?”

“About two months ago,” he replies seriously.  “And she wouldn’t be there for a month. She would have to be there for at least a year.”

“Oh,” I say more to myself. “I didn’t realize.”

“Katniss has such potential and she will be wasting it here,” he tells me. “I know that you love her, but consider the possibility of letting her pursue this dream. She is so young and it seems like Katniss has never had a chance to do the things that she’s wanted to do. I know that you’ve both been taking care of her sister since her mother’s death. It is so admirable—she deserves this.”

I suddenly wish I had that drink. My mind is whirling at his words. “No one deserves an opportunity more than she does.”

“I’m glad that you feel the same way,” he tells me. “Will you talk to her? I’m sure that you can make accommodations with her. She has done so much for us already. I just want her to be the best that she can be.”

I manage to nod. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you, Peeta,” he says gratefully. “I’m glad that we’re able to see eye-to-eye on this. I’d better get inside so we can make our toasts.” Beetee nods and goes back inside.

The breath in my lungs suddenly feels like liquid and I’m choking on it. A jumble of emotions rushes through me - hurt, anger, and confusion. I walk to the door and catch a glimpse of Katniss through the clear glass.

She is chatting with a group of people. They all listen intently and I know that she must be explaining something complicated. I’m so proud. I’m so proud that I can hardly stand to see her waste her talent here.

Katniss deserves to be more than a baker’s wife. She doesn’t belong in a kitchen raising babies while I run our little bakery.

She should have all of this, all the accolades and all the adventure. Katniss was meant to be great.

A calmness comes over me. She belongs here.

The calm is followed by a sharp pain because I suddenly realize that I don’t know where I fit.

++++++

The ride home is silent. I’m so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I can barely look at her. Katniss notices right away. I shrug off her concern and tell her everything is fine.

Once we get home and while she is undressing, I confront her.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Japan?”

Katniss freezes and she turns to me. She has just slipped on one of my shirts.

“It wasn’t important,” she tells me.

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“I said that is bullshit.”

Katniss sits on the bed. “Peeta, I have other priorities now.”

“Like what?”

“Like you and Prim, like our family,” she replies.

“You’re not staying because of us,” I say to her. “You’re staying because of me. You don’t want to leave me behind.”

“Of course not.” Her voice trembles. “I love you, Peeta. I want to spend my life with you.”

“What kind of life is this? A life where you stand behind me and bake bread? Where you take phone orders for cakes? No, I won’t let that happen! You deserve so much more. Even if—even if it isn’t with me.”

“What are you saying?” Katniss walks over. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“You should go to Japan,” I tell her softly.

“I won’t if you’re not going with me,” she argues.

I shake my head. “You know that’s not possible. I have to run the bakery. I’m going to Chicago to negotiate contracts soon.”

“I’ll wait until you’ve worked everything out—“

“By then, it will be too late,” I say. “You should go! You NEED to do this or else you will always wonder what could have been and hate me for keeping you here. I won’t let that happen.”

“Peeta…” Her voice breaks. “Why are you doing this?”

I cup her cheeks with my hands and wipe her tears with my thumbs. “Because I love you. I’ve always loved you and you should have everything the world has to offer.”

“I want you,” she reasons and Katniss begins to cry in earnest. My own eyes are heavy with tears, but I blink them back. “I need you.”

Shaking my head, I look into her eyes. “I can’t stand the thought of you realizing that you’ve wasted your life on me. It will happen! I know it will, Katniss. Not right away, but when you discover that the fire in you has burnt out, you’ll resent me. You might even resent our kids. You know how it feels to be left behind by your mother. Don’t let that happen to you.”

“That’s not fair,” she sobs. ”You told me I wasn’t her!”

“And I’m making sure that you never become her.” I kiss her forehead. “You’re selling yourself short. You don’t belong here. I do.”

“I belong with you,” she whispers and puts her head against my chest. “I know I don’t say it enough but I do.”

“You’re being stubborn,” I say and exhale shakily. “And you’re scared of change. Stop denying yourself the opportunity to be great.”

“So what now?” Her voice is hallow.

“Tell Beetee that you’ve changed your mind and make me proud,” I say as I wrap my arms around her. I kiss her hair and the scent of her is fixed in my mind. “I’m going to stay at Dad’s.”

“Wait!” she looks up at me. ”Why are you leaving?”

“Because if I stay, you’ll never leave.” I grab my keys and my wallet. “I’ll ask Wheaton or Rye to get my things.”

I walk out of the room and close the door behind me.

_Don’t cry. Don’t look back._

“Why are you going?”

Prim stands in her doorway. Her eyes are filled with tears. She’s heard everything.

“Because your sister deserves more to than to be some baker’s wife,” I say and walk over to hug her tightly.  “No matter what, I will always be your big brother. You are part of the family. I love you, Primmy.”

“Don’t go then! Stay…”

I shake my head and bite the inside of cheek so hard keep myself from sobbing. “Check on Katniss, will you?”

Prim pulls away and her eyes glisten.

“Go on,” I choke out. She turns and rushes into our room, closing the door behind her. I walk steadily down the stairs. “Not yet.”

Rushing out of the house, I get into my car and my hand shakily inserts the key to start the ignition. I press on the gas pedal and I drive away from my home.

Somehow, I end up at Ocean Beach and a memory drifts into my mind. It’s a memory of a sunny day and Jimmy Soul playing on the radio. It’s a memory of a fun argument between my best friend and me.

_"It's telling you to never marry anyone pretty because they'll just cause you misery."_

_Katniss grins at me. "Well, I guess you can't marry me, then."_

She looks so young in my mind. The memory of her smile is imprinted in my heart.

I finally allow myself to cry.

* * *

 

*Dodging things being thrown at me.

I’m sorry, please don’t hate me. Please keep reading.

A few things:

San Quentin is a prison in Marin County and is the only death row in California. A whole bunch of baddies are incarcerated there including Scott Peterson.

Buttercup has made an appearance in kitten form!

Genentech is a biotechnology company located in San Bruno around the same neighborhood that Beetee’s company is located in.

“The Rainbow Connection” is the song performed in Muppet Movie and was sung by Kermit the Frog.

They don’t usually recommend flying with a newborn so soon, but they can fly a week after their birth if needed. I allowed them the two weeks to show the passage of time.

I don’t know why, but right when I thought about Rye and Marvel’s child, I knew right away that her name should be Sonny. Her middle name was more difficult.

From February 12 to March 11, 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson allowed the City Clerk to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. When it was halted, 4,000 marriage licenses had already been issued. I’m proud to say that one of my good friends was issued a license during this time and is now expecting her first child with her wife.

Rye and Marvel will eventually have a ceremony.

AsiaSF is a transgender club located in SOMA. The ladies of AsiaSF also do night performances and the restaurant is known for the performances, as well as its club in the downstairs area. Katniss knows that Prim is lying because AsiaSF only allows people under 21 to take the 5:00pm reservation time on Saturdays. If Prim came in at 7:00, that would mean that she was coming in during the 21 and over time.

Yes, Prim uses Willow as her fake name, the same name as the actress who plays Prim in the movie.

Waterfront is a restaurant along the Embarcadero. It has a beautiful patio, though I would actually recommend a place called Epic Roasthouse if you want to eat somewhere along the Bay.

Next chapter: The aftermath, Katniss’ life without Peeta from her POV. Graduation arrives.

All comments can be sent to [JLaLaFics@yahoo.com](mailto:JLaLaFics@yahoo.com), ask/submit on Tumblr or review on AO3.

-JLaLa


	24. Part Five: Katniss

Thank you for all your feedback, positive and negative, about the last chapter. Feels good to know that many of you really care about these characters!

The characters of the Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

_Without you, the eyes gaze_   
_the legs walk, the lungs breathe_   
_The mind churns, the heart yearns_   
_the tears dry without you_

_Life goes on but I'm gone_  
 _'cause I die, without you…_

_-Rent (Without You)_

Two Wrongs

Part Five, Chapter Twenty Three: Katniss

_“Katniss? Wake up, sweetheart.”_

“Peeta?” I open my eyes to find Cinna and Portia in front of my bed. Cinna looks at me worriedly. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s your graduation day,” Portia says gently. “We’re here to help you get ready.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve been moping around for a month, and today is the one day that you shouldn’t.” I sit up and find Johanna sitting at the foot of my bed. She pinches my toe and I yelp. “Get up now!”

“Give me some privacy,” I tell them. “I could be naked under here.” I pull up my covers.

“You’re not,” Johanna responds. “I checked. You’re wearing shorts and a dingy sweater.”

“It’s Peeta.” The room stills. “It’s the one thing that they forgot to take.” I bite the side of my mouth.  “I need some time.”

“No,” Portia states and walks over to pull the covers off. “Take a shower, you need to get ready now.”

I grumble but listen to her. Johanna takes my shoulders and leads my weary body to the bathroom.

“Don’t take too long or I swear I’ll come after you, naked or not,” Johanna says with a smirk.

“I don’t doubt it,” I reply before closing the door.

++++++

“All dry,” Cinna says once he’s finished. He has blown out my hair and now it falls in bouncy waves.

Someone knocks and we both look up. It’s Gale. “Can I come in? I have coffee.” He holds up a black mug with the Giants logo on it—it was Peeta’s.

I nod. “Come in.” He walks in and closes the door behind him.

“Do you want some privacy?” Cinna asks gently. Portia, who is setting up her make-up brushes, stops.

Gale shakes his head. “I just wanted to keep her company.” He hands me the cup and I take a sip.

“You should’ve been a barista,” I tell him. “This is a good cup.”

“I didn’t make it,” he replies. “Rye stopped by and he made the pot. He dropped something off for you. He said that he’ll see you at the ceremony.”

I put the cup down on my vanity. “What?”

Gale stands and walks out of the room. He returns with a long box. There’s no card. I lift it and gasp.

“What is it?” Portia asks.

I try to choke back my tears. “It’s an orange blossom lei to wear during the ceremony.”

“That’s really nice of Rye and Marvel to get that for you,” Cinna says as pulls the top half of my hair up.

I shake my head. “It’s not from them. It’s from _him_.”

“How do you know that?” Gale asks as he sits back down.

Cinna stops and puts his hands on my shoulders. I take a deep breath as I inhale the fragrant smell of the flower. Touching the white petals, I think of him and the tears that I tried to hold back begin to fall.

“Orange blossoms mean innocence,” I tell him. “They mean marriage.” I can’t understand why he would do this. “Why would he give me this?” I shake my head. “Why? He walked out—“ I look down at the open box.

Placing the box on my vanity, I draw my legs to my chest, hugging them to me.

Gale takes my hand. “Don’t cry, Catnip. Maybe he just wanted you to have something nice to wear with your gown.”

“No,” I respond. “Peeta wouldn’t give me something without having a meaning behind it.”

“You said they mean marriage?” Portia asks. I nod.

Peeta and I saw a picture of orange blossoms once. I thought they were pretty and out of curiosity, he looked up the meaning.

I catch Portia and Cinna looking at one another for a moment. I see their reflections behind me from the mirror in front of us.

“What?”

“I might be completely off,” Cinna says as he looks at my reflection. “Maybe he gave them to you because he still believes in marriage—your marriage.”

++++++

“I’ll be with Dad and everyone else,” Prim says as she walks me to the room where I have to line up. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I say to her.

“You’re graduating, Katniss,” Prim says and lifts my chin. We’re almost the same height now. “Smile.”

I give her a quick smile and she pulls me gently towards her. “I love you, Katniss. I’m really proud. Mom and Dad are, too. I know it.” I nod and turn to go into the room.

Walking in, I see purple and gold gowns all around me. Women are in the purple ones and the men are in the gold.  I walk towards the registration table, but stop when I see myself in the mirror.

Portia did a great job. You can hardly see the dark circles. My make-up is simple. There’s a light peach gloss on my lips and my eyes are lined, pulling out into a cat-eye. She even placed a set of lashes on me. Portia says that they’ll look great for pictures. Cinna pulled the top part of my hair back and curled the bottom. He wanted to make sure that it would look good even with my cap on.

I look normal.

Inside, it’s a whole different story. I feel numb. And as much as I should hate him for not giving me a chance to explain before taking off that night—I don’t. I miss him. It’s really pathetic.

I walk over to the check-in table and tell the woman my name. “Katniss Everdeen Mellark.”

“You didn’t change your name on your diploma?”

I turn to find my husband behind me with a small smile on his face. His blonde hair matches the gold of his gown and I can see a pair of black slacks peeking through the bottom.

I haven’t seen him in a month and he’s acting like we’re still married, like we’re friends even.

“No matter what you say, I’m still a Mellark,” I tell him.

Taking my seat number from the woman, I walk away from him. I won’t cry. Portia worked too hard on my makeup. I need to have a little dignity for goodness sake! I won’t let him get to me. Peeta was the one who wanted out, not me.

I find my seat and sit down in a huff. My feet are killing me and I hastily remove my shoes. Black Manolos, a graduation present from Carrie. Torture stilts to me. I massage my feet through my sheer stockings.

“Those are expensive shoes.”

I look up to see Peeta.

“What do you want?” I ask, annoyed at his easiness.

“I’m sitting next to you,” he tells me and plops down on the seat beside me. “It goes by last name and they alternate between sexes.”

“Why are you acting like this?” I ask him suddenly. His eyes meet mine for a moment. “You walked out.”

“I know,” he replies seriously. “Did you accept the position?”

“Yes,” I say angrily. “Like you wanted.”

Peeta remains silent.

“I only want what’s best for you,” he says quietly.

“Last time I checked, I’m old enough to make my own decisions.” I take a breath to calm myself down.

“You’re wearing the lei.” I look down at the orange blossoms around my neck.

“You picked it,” I reply.

“How did you know?”

“We looked up their meaning together, didn’t we?” My eyes begin to water. _Shit_. “I wanted a life with you. Children, too.”

“When you’re in Japan, you’ll change your mind.”

“I hope so,” I say and bite my tongue, realizing how cruel it sounds. _Why shouldn’t I be mean?_ My head tells me.

My heart feels differently. It’s the true test to becoming a grown-up, wrestling with your heart and your head. I think of Prim, the rest of the family, and my parents. And then, I think of Peeta’s mom. She wouldn’t want this for us. She would’ve wanted me to fight for us.

“Katniss, can we try?” Peeta asks. “Can we try to get along for everyone else? For Prim?”

“Okay,” I agree. “Thanks for the lei.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re coming to Prim’s graduation, right?”

He smiles.  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I’m a goner.

“ATTENTION GRADUATES! WE’RE BEGINNING OUR WALK OUTSIDE!”

I stand quickly and slip my left heel on. “Dammit!” I look down at the spot where my shoe used to be.

“What?” Peeta asks, concerned.

“My other shoe is under my seat,” I tell him.

“I’ll get it.” Peeta slowly gets on his good knee and the other follows. He reaches under the plastic chair and grabs the shoe. He holds it up in triumph. “Let me. I’m already down here.”

I hold my foot out and he carefully slips on the shoe. As he makes sure that it is on properly, his hand grazes my ankle and I feel it; the electricity of his touch. It travels from the touched spot and all the way up to my face. I feel my cheeks warm.

“Thanks,” I manage to say. “Let me help you up.”

I hold out my hand, which Peeta takes as he carefully stands back up. Once he is standing, he gives me an impish grin. Peeta holds out his cap.

“Help me put it on? I’m crap at making it look right.”

“I don’t know if I’ll do any better,” I tell him but take the cap. I smile when I read the block letters on top of his cap: **_‘Hi Mom’_**.

My hand reaches to move his hair off his forehead. I swear I hear him sigh. I take the cap and place it over his hair. After straightening it, I pull back to look at him. He looks like sunshine. “That’s a lot of yellow.”

“Why did our school colors have to be purple and gold?”

“It’s not so bad,” I reply. “Calm down, Mellark.”

“We all can’t be cool like you, Mellark,” he says in turn. Peeta blushes at his declaration.

We are silent as we walk into the hallway. I had my department graduation last week. Gale and Johanna attended that one and are sitting with Prim at this one.

“Are you coming to the house after?” he asks as he walks behind me.

“I’m not sure, but Prim is welcome to go,” I say to him. It feels like we’re a couple discussing custody arrangements.

In a way, we are.

“Dad would love to see you,” he urges. “Rhea keeps on asking for ‘Kiss’.”

“I just saw her two days ago,” I tell him as we reach the doors to go outside.

We hear ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ start and I feel a sudden nervousness run through me. I feel his eyes boring into the back of my head.

“This is the second graduation we’ve had together,” Peeta says.

“Third. Kindergarten,” I reply, facing forward. “We wore stupid paper hats that looked like these ones.” My eyes begin to fill with tears.

“I’m really proud of you, Katniss,” he says suddenly.

I turn to look at him and everything I want to say doesn’t seem to come out. I want to tell him that despite wanting to hate him for leaving me so suddenly, I can’t. I want to tell him how in love with him I am. How it took me forever to even say it or even think it. Or how I don’t believe that he doesn’t care. I want to tell him to fight for us, because despite everything, I don’t think I can give him up. All he has to do is ask me to stay.

The words don’t come out. Instead, they call my name and I turn to march out of the open double doors.

++++++

The rest of the ceremony moves in a blur. We sit next to one another, Peeta and I, as the Dean speaks, followed by an assemblyman. Our keynote speaker is a former TV host turned photographer named Caesar Flickerman. He is all bronze skin and bright white teeth.

Looking out, I see Prim in the middle row with the rest of the family. Their signs, neon colors, have our names on them.  The worst part is that I can feel Peeta’s eyes on me during the entire ceremony. I don’t return his stare. In-between the speeches and the band playing an instrumental version of the school’s fight song, I decide to be pissed again.

I regret not changing the name on my diploma back to Everdeen now.

Then something suddenly makes me look at Prim again. She sits next to Dad and he has his arm around her. They look at us and she waves, then blows a kiss at me. I wave back and Dad jokingly blows me a kiss also. I pretend to catch it and laugh softly.

I love Dad, just like I love the rest of them. No matter what has happened between Peeta and me, they’re my family.

We are signaled to stand and I take a deep breath. Four years. It’s all come to this.

Since they aren’t announcing names, the walking across the stage goes quicker than my department one. I never look back. I can’t look back at him.

It hurts too much.

As I get to my turn and after shaking hands with the faculty heads, I turn to look for Prim. She is on her feet and bouncing excitedly like she used to do when she was just a girl. Now she looks like Mom, but like Prim said when we went to visit before, she smiles much more than Mom ever did.

I blow Prim a kiss before moving my tassel to the other side and leaving the stage.

When I get back to the assembly room, I yank my cap off. It’s done. I’m a graduate.

I unzip my graduation gown and shrug the shoulders of it off of me. The marigold shift dress is a stark contrast from the purple gown.

“Katniss!” I turn to see Peeta rushing towards me with a big grin. When he is at arm’s length, he lifts and twirls me around. I scream loudly catching the attention of several people. Peeta puts me down, but his hands are right at my waist. “We did it.” We grin as we look in one another’s eyes.

His lips are right there. I tell myself to calm down. I try not to pay attention to his mouth, which is open slightly as he stares back.

_FLASH!_

I pull away and turn to see Caesar Flickerman standing across from us. He flashes us an apologetic smile as he puts his camera down.

“It was a beautiful picture,” he tells us. “I just had to take it! I mean, the way you two look at one another…” He holds out his hand out to shake Peeta’s. ”Caesar Flickerman.”

“Peeta Mellark.” He shakes Caesar’s hand.

Caesar turns to me and I shake his hand.”Katniss Everdeen Mellark.”

His eyes widen. ”You’re married? Wonderful! I met my wife during my time at State, too,” he says. “What are your plans now that you’ve finished school?”

I clear my throat. “Well, Japan for me while my husband remains here in San Francisco working at the family business.” I don’t look over to see Peeta’s reaction.

“Tragic! Ah well—when I’ve developed this picture, I’ll be sure to send it to you.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out his wallet. “My business card.” He opens it and hands one to each of us. “Contact me in a few days. I’m going to call your photo, ‘The Star-Crossed Lovers of D-12!’”

“D-12?” Peeta asks.

“The room number,” Caesar replies. “I must be on my way. I have a few more meet and greets to attend. Nice meeting you both!” With a final wave, he walks to the other side of the room to say hello to some other entering graduates.

“I should go,” I say to Peeta. My body has caught up with my tired heart. “I should probably meet Prim and tell your family goodbye.”

Peeta looks hurt. ”You’re not coming to the celebration?”

I shake my head. “I have things to do.” I steady myself. “Prim can go.” I suddenly feel his closeness stifling me.

“Katniss—“ Peeta puts a hand on my shoulder and I whip around.

“I have to get used to being alone!” I glare at him. “Stop—please.” He looks at me, his eyes full of concern and I hate him for it. “Haven’t you done enough?”

He gives me a resigned sigh. “Let’s go find Prim then.”

++++++

“Katniss?”

I look up to see Prim in my bedroom doorway, hugging a notepad. I’m working on a report for Beetee. My laptop and client files sit on the bed, but I clear some space for her.

“Have a seat.” She rushes over and sits on the empty side—Peeta’s side. “You okay?”

“I’m a little nervous about tomorrow,” she tells me.

Tomorrow is her graduation, and of course, her valedictorian speech.

“You are going to be perfect,” I assure her. “Is it your speech?”

“I feel like there’s something not quite right about it,” she responds and hands me her notepad.

Her cursive is full and pretty. I read over it quickly. It is pretty good and my eyes fill with tears at parts. When I’m finished, I look up at her nervous face.

“It’s good,” I assure her. “I think you need one more big line or theme in it.”

She nods. “That makes sense.” Prim looks over at me. “Are you okay?”

I close my laptop. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Peeta.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m okay. I _have_ to be okay.”

“Do you still love him?  He’s done a real bonehead thing and I gave him grief over it. But he still thinks it’s for the best.”

“I have to give it to him. When he commits to something, he doesn’t budge,” I say to her. “Neither do I, I guess. We’re both stupidly stubborn. I love him, though.” She listens. “I’ve always loved him and even though he is being a complete ass, I still do.”

“How does love like that sustain itself?” she asks. “There are a lot of messed up things that have happened to us. How does this one idea keep pressing on inside my mind?”

“Hope, I guess.”

“Is that how you really see it?” Prim’s eyes look at me curiously and she runs her hand over the blanket to smooth out a wrinkle. “Is that how you feel about Peeta? That he gives you hope?”

I think for a moment before responding to her questions. Prim sits up at full attention.

“Peeta gave me the hope that life could go on despite our losses,” I tell her.

“Wow.” Prim hugs her notebook, her expression dreamy. “Your love life is so awesome.”

I give her a hug. “My husband doesn’t want me. What kind of love life is that?”

“Oh, he wants you,” Prim says. “He stared at you during the whole graduation ceremony. What you need to do is show him that you’re not letting him go, no matter how much he fights you.”

++++++

“You must be nervous,” Dad says to me. We sit next to one another on the bleachers of the Lowell football field.

“Yes,” I respond. “All her hard work is finally paying off.”

“This isn’t just her time to celebrate, it’s yours, too,” he says and puts his arm around me. “You got her here. I’m proud. So very proud of both of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I look around. “Peeta is coming, right?”

“He’s on his way. One of our distributors is giving us a hard time, so he had a conference call with them,” he says and gives me a sly smile. “Any particular reason why you want to know?”

I shake my head as I look forward. “It would break Prim’s heart if he wasn’t here.”

“Just Prim’s?”  I don’t reply. I only smile as I watch the graduating class, all in cardinal red gowns, walk in.

“There she is,” Rye says from the bleacher below Dad and I. He looks up at me. “Don’t cry, okay? Or I might.”

“I’ll try.”

Marvel, who sits next to him, catches my eyes and grins. He cradles Sonny and adjusts the small hat she wears over her dark hair. I spot Prim in the front row. As valedictorian, she led her class in and is seated in the front row. I can hear Carrie trying to show Rhea where her Auntie Prim is. Wheaton is snapping photos with a camera that I’m sure can catch every tiny detail of this ceremony.

Peeta, however, is nowhere to be found. I start to worry, even more so when the class speaker begins and he hasn’t arrived. Prim is next. I look at Dad and he shrugs.

“They must be talking his ear off,” he reasons.

“I can’t believe this.” I’m disappointed.

However, I can’t think about it once they announced my sister’s name. Beautiful and golden, Prim walks to the podium wearing a pair of sparkly heels that Dad found for her to wear in Mom’s closet. Written along the along the edge of her cap is a message, ‘Hi Mom and Dad!’ and in the middle of it is a large bejeweled ‘R’ for Peeta’s mother.

Prim looks up for a moment and smiles softly when she spots where I am.

‘I love you’, I mouth to her. Prim nods and take a deep breath.

“Good afternoon faculty, parents, and graduates,” Prim begins. “My name is Primrose Everdeen and as you already know, I am the class valedictorian. I suppose this means that I should be smart enough to give you advice on how the outside world works. I’m not. I can’t tell you how to find what you really want out of life, because I barely know myself. I’m just beginning to learn that life will sometimes throw you a curveball.” She stops for a moment. “Some—no, _most_ of them will not be pleasant. Things that we want, we might not get.”

Prim looks up at us again. Her eyes zero in on me and I know it is because she’s nervous.

“I lost my father when I was barely a teenager, and my mother a few years after.” I realize that this is not the same speech I read last night. “When something like that happens, you would expect someone to be scared about what happens next. I was never scared because my sister wouldn’t let me be. She changed her whole life to raise a teenager. Life threw her the biggest curve and she never looked back—not once.” Prim’s eyes never leave mine. “Katniss, you’re the bravest woman I know. I’ll be lucky to be an eighth of what you’ve become.”

I can feel the hot tears fall from my face and a warm hand envelopes my own. I turn to find Peeta standing next to me. I smile through my tears, relieved that he made it to see Prim onstage.

“Peeta,” Prim calls out. “Thank you for loving my sister and for making her so unbelievably happy. Thank you for always standing beside her and for becoming my brother. You never hesitated to call me out when I was wrong and cheer me on when I right. You were always there for me, no matter how awkward the situation was.” She laughs at the last part.

I squeeze his hand and he responds.

“And to the Mellarks—who never treated Katniss and me like we were anything less than family. We are so lucky. _I_ am so lucky and it is a privilege to be part of your family.”

“Stupid hormones,” Carrie sobs from above me.

“If you have to remember only one part of this speech, it’s this – life can go on despite your losses. You just have to have hope. My sister told me that—and she’s pretty damn smart.” She stops and gives me a grin. “Congratulations, graduates. Now let’s get this show on the road, shall we? Thank you.”

The applause is deafening, but I don’t hear it because at that moment, I meet Peeta’s eyes again. He is looking at me as he claps. We are both amazingly proud. That amazing girl standing at the podium--we raised her together.

Prim is right. I can’t let him go, even I want to.

++++++

“What happened with your distributor?” I ask Peeta as we wait for Prim, who is still inside the gym collecting her things.

“Nothing big,” he replies. “They tried to stiff us on additional supplies. I literally had to go down the list and tell them how much of each. I’m so sorry that I missed part of the ceremony.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him. “I’m glad that you made it.”

“Me, too,” he says. “She’s going to college and was the valedictorian. We didn’t totally mess her up.”

“Prim has always been smart.” I watch as some girls emerge from the gym, though none are her. “The sass is from Mom.”

“Yes, she has become my mother, hasn’t she?” he laughs. “Dad must be happy.”

“I think she’s definitely his favorite.”

The gym door bursts open and Prim shoots out. “I did it!” She runs towards me and throws her arms around me. “I’m a graduate!”

“Congratulations, sweetie,” I reply as we pull away.

Prim turns to Peeta with a glare. “I was worried that you wouldn’t show!”  She pulls him in for a hug.

“If I could’ve brought my laptop on those bleachers, I would have,” Peeta says to her. “There was no way that I was going to miss this.”

I look and see the rest of the family coming to join us. Prim sees Dad and runs towards him. He lifts her off the ground. The rest of the family joins as Rhea pulls at the skirt of my dress and I pick her up.

“Congratulations,” Carrie says. ”She was perfect. Wheaton took at least five rolls of her out there!”

“Five rolls?” Rye says as he looks at his brother. “Who uses film still?”

“This is a classic,” Wheaton responds defensively. “The art of classic photography will never die.”

“Until you realize that your thumb was covering half the photographs,” Rye replies.

“Shut up,” Wheaton replies and pushes Rye.

“Boys,” Carrie says. “Let’s act like grown-ups and not embarrass the graduate.”

Prim and Dad walk over so that everyone else can give her a hug. Rhea has shimmied herself down my leg and is now clinging to Prim.

“Can I have a picture of Prim, Peeta and Katniss?” Wheaton asks. “Everyone move, please.”

Prim stands in-between us and I smile for the camera.

“Can you stand a little closer to Katniss?” Carrie asks Peeta. “And put your arm around her.”

“Super obvious, Carrie,” Marvel tells her. “Why don’t you ask him to kiss her after?”

She flips him the bird when she’s sure that Rhea isn’t looking.

Peeta obliges, however, and when his hand rests on my bare shoulder, I try to ignore the heat that spreads within me. The nearness of him makes me feel—complete.

There’s an emptiness inside me when he’s not nearby. This sentiment is echoed every morning when I wake up in our bed alone.

I push these thoughts aside to smile again for the camera.

++++++

“Do you have any questions about your first month?” Beetee asks me.

I look over the meeting schedule again before shaking my head.  “No, but I’ll need to make copies of this for Prim and of course, Peeta, just in case.”

He turns from where he stands by the window. Beetee sits across from me at the conference table. Removing his glasses, he looks at me guiltily.

“Katniss, I had a talk with Peeta.”

“What?”

“During the party at Waterfront,” he tells me. “I just felt like it wasn’t a good idea for you to be letting go of an opportunity like this.”

My throat goes dry. “What did you tell him?” I croak out.

“I told him that you were talented and that it would be a waste if you didn’t take this job,” he says. “I told him that you’ve already sacrificed so much and that he should try to accommodate you.”

“He left, Beetee!” Everything makes sense now. The fucking noble bastard.

“I know,” Beetee responds. “I didn’t think that he would. I thought he would go with you.”

“You thought wrong,” I tell him.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “I never meant for that to happen.”

I take a deep breath. Part of me wants to rip him a new one, but then another thought comes to mind.

“How mad is E?” I ask after a moment.

“I’ve been sleeping on the couch for a while.”

“Good.” I stand up to leave. “I have an awkward family dinner to go tonight.”

“What will you do now?” Beetee asks me as I walk towards the door.

I turn to look at him.

“We all have choices. Peeta had one and he chose to leave. There’s nothing left to do but go.”

++++++

I ring the doorbell to the house. I have a key, but loaned it to Prim so she could get in after her shopping trip with Rue. Tapping my foot impatiently, I wait and the last person that I want to see opens the door.

“I need to talk to you,” I tell Peeta as I enter. Without a thought, I push him. Peeta stumbles back a bit.

“What the hell, Katniss?” he yells.

I punch his arm. “Why would you listen to Beetee?”

Realization comes into his eyes. “So he told you.”

“Yes, he told me! Who do you think you are?”

Peeta grabs my wrist and pulls me up the stairs.

I try to wrestle away. “Where are we going?”

“My room. Everyone is on their way and I don’t think the first thing you want them to see is that you’ve turned me into your punching bag!”

I follow silently but he keeps a firm grip on my wrist. Opening the door to his room, he leads me in first and closes the door behind him.

“Let it out,” he says, his voice resigned.

“You can’t make my choices for me!” I say to him. “You didn’t even give me a chance to explain myself.”

“Then explain.”

“I turn down the job because it wasn’t as important as the other things I wanted,” I say. “I wanted to start a family with you, Peeta.”

“Do you hear yourself?” he says. “You’re only twenty-two. Kids can come later! We weren’t ready and you would have regretted it.”

“I never regret my decisions!” I push him. “But maybe you do! Do you regret it? Do you regret marrying me?”

“No, never.” His eyes are unreadable. “You deserve better than a life like that, though.”

“Marrying you was the best decision that I ever made,” I say. “Why couldn’t you trust me enough to know that?”

He doesn’t answer. The room is silent except for our heavy breathing.

“Say something!” I begin to pound at his chest like an angry child. He grabs hold of my wrists to calm me.

When I try to pull away, he doesn’t let go. I look up into his eyes.

“Get away from me,” I sneer, but he doesn’t budge. “What do you want?”

Instead of answering, he kisses me. It’s not a sweet kiss. It’s a kiss that reminds me why we are so good together. Why this fire within me can only be created with him.

My hands find their way to the hem of his shirt and I remove it. My mouth finds its way back to his and he pushes the jacket I wear off my shoulders. Peeta walks me back until the back of my legs find their way to the edge of his bed. I lay back and his body settles over mine. As we kiss, I run my fingers through his locks and tug gently.

He groans and Peeta deepens the kiss, his tongue massaging mine roughly. His hand reaches to undo the buttons of the blouse I wear. As he uncovers more of my bare skin, his mouth kisses each exposed spot and I arch against him.

“ANYONE HOME?” It’s Rye.

We spring apart, both of us breathless. Peeta and I can’t even look at one another; we both feel guilty for letting it get this far.

“What are we doing?” I finally say.

“I don’t know,” Peeta says quietly. “I didn’t bring you up for that.”

“I know,” I reply. “What happens now?”

He shrugs. “We go downstairs and have dinner with our family. I go to Chicago next week, and you go to Japan. That’s as far as I know.”

I nod and then turn to him. “Peeta?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you kiss me?”

He doesn’t reply but reaches to cradle my face. Peeta kisses me softly and I memorize. I memorize his mouth against mine, the feel of his lips and the scent of his hair. My memories, I know, will not create the same electricity that happens whenever we touch.

When we pull apart, our forehead resting against each other, I can see that both of our faces are wet with tears. We both know what that was.

It was a goodbye kiss.

“You still love me,” I whisper as I look into his eyes. I don’t need a response from him. “Take care of Prim while I’m gone, won’t you?”

“Of course,” he replies and closes his eyes. “Katniss, I got you something but I don’t think I can be here when you see it.” Peeta leans down and reaches under his bed. He pulls out a wrapped box and places it on my lap.

Standing up, he grabs the shirt that I removed and puts it back on.

“I’ll be downstairs,” Peeta tells me.

“What is it?” I look down at the wrapped package.

“Something to remember your old friend by,” he says.

Peeta opens the door.

“Peeta?”

He turns back to me and I remove the pearl ring off my finger.

Peeta’s eyes shimmer with tears and he shakes his head. “It’s yours. It was always meant to be yours.” He turns and walks out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

I slip the ring on my right ring finger instead.

Wiping my eyes, I unwrap the present from him. It’s a picture – the one that Caesar Flickerman took of Peeta and I at graduation. We look happy and excited. We look like we’re in love.

I stare at the picture until Prim calls me down to dinner.

Instead of taking it, I place it on his side table.

I can’t bring him with me. 

* * *

 

There aren’t any notes really since this was really an extension of the last chapter.

Also, if you haven’t noticed, the next and last chapter is already up.

I’ll see you there.

 


	25. Part Five: Peeta

The last chapter—I can’t believe this. Thank you for all your support and love especially after my deletion from FF.net

It has been an honor to write this wonderful story for you.

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry_   
_You don't know how lovely you are_   
_I had to find you, tell you I need you_   
_Tell you I set you apart…_

_-Coldplay (The Scientist)_

Two Wrongs

Part Five, Chapter Twenty-Four: Peeta

_“Peeta, wake up.”_

I open my eyes and see my family gathered in my room. Carrie sits next to me. It was her voice that woke me up. For a moment, I thought it was my wife. Marvel and Rye stand across from me, while Wheaton stands at the foot of the bed.

Dad leans against the doorway.

“What are you all doing in here?”

“Well, we’ve been…concerned,” Carrie starts. “You’ve haven’t left the house for a few days.”

“You’re starting to smell,” Rye says.

“And the peach fuzz beard is not cute,” Wheaton tells me. “We have to go to Chicago soon and you look like an albino mountain man.”

I sit up. “Is this what you’re worried about? I’ll clean myself up for your big business meeting,” I snarl at him. Turning over, I put my pillow over my head and lay back. “You can go now.”

THWACK!

“What the hell, Carrie?” I ask.

“Don’t talk to your sister that way, Peeta,” my Dad says firmly.

“She just smacked my ass!”

“You’re acting like a baby so you should be treated like one,” Carrie replies firmly. “Now get up or I’ll yank you by the ear.”

“Why?”

“This is an intervention,” Marvel tells me.

I look around at all of them. “Are you all insane? Did you watch this on TV or something?”

“We might have, but that’s not the point!” Rye shouts. “You still love her! You’re going to Chicago. Then she’s going to Japan. That will be it.”

“I haven’t changed my mind about this,” I tell them. “Neither has she.” I pull open my side table drawer. Taking out a manila envelope, I toss it to the edge of the bed where Wheaton is.

I sit up and turn so that my feet are on the ground. My eyes zero in on the picture of Katniss and I. She couldn’t take it with her. I couldn’t put it away. I needed to see her smile.

“What’s in there?” Dad asks.

“Divorce papers.”

++++++

“How are you doing?” I ask Prim as we sit in the restaurant. “Still nervous?” It is mostly empty, except for a few people at the bar watching recap of the last Giants game.

“Yes, Katniss and I went apartment hunting in Palo Alto,” she tells me. “She’s a little anxious about me living alone, so she wants a place with security.”

“Well, which place did you like?”

“I liked ‘The Marc’,” she replies. “The apartments are big and there’s a nice view. It’s not too far from campus.”

“Looks like you’ve made up your mind,” I reply. The waitress comes and places our burgers in front of us. “Have you ever eaten here?”

“Usually after a game,” she tells me. “Derek has season tickets and he knows the owners here.”

“So what happens with you two?” I take a sip of water from the cup next to me. “Are you still together?”

“Yes, UCLA isn’t that far,” Prim says easily. “Unlike some other couples I know, we know how to work things out.”

“How is she?” I ask carefully.

“You can say her name, you know.” She takes a bite of her burger. Placing it back down, she glares at me. “Katniss, your _wife,_ is doing okay. I really think that you should call her.”

“She doesn’t want to hear from me.”

“Are you brain dead? Of course she wants to hear from you!” Prim picks her burger back up from the basket. “You two have the worst communications skills.”

“She sent me divorce papers,” I reason. “Isn’t that reason enough for us not to talk to each other?”

“You were the one who wanted to leave, Peeta,” Prim says suddenly, her eyes blazing. “You can’t blame her for giving you what you want. She’s hurting, too. And if I have to choose sides—then I choose hers.” She looks at me. “I don’t want to choose, though.”

“Primmy, no one is asking you to,” I tell her.

“Then why do I feel like I’m the emotional buffer between you two?”

“I’m sorry.” I put my hand over hers. “We don’t want you to feel like that.” I clear my throat. “Why did you decide to have lunch here?”

“I’m having a graduation party,” she tells me. “It’s also sort of a goodbye party for Katniss. The venue is close by and I just dropped off the payment.” Prim reaches into her bag and hands me an envelope. I pull out the invite and look it over.

The party is the night before I leave.

“Will you come?”

“I want to,” I say honestly. “But I don’t think that I can face her.” I look at my sister. “I might ask her to stay.”

Her blue eyes bore into mine. “Then ask her.”

++++++

Days pass and I immerse myself in my work.

I still work at the bakery and so does Rue. She will continue on a part-time basis, since she is attending the University of San Francisco as a Nursing major. It works out since Rory will also remain in San Francisco. He plans to go to State like his brother did.

Since it’s across the street, I can’t avoid looking at my former home. I see Prim come and go. She waves when she sees me. Derek gives me a wave whenever he comes around and I nod.

I see Katniss in the mornings, but she avoids looking at the bakery. I notice that she looks worn out. I begin to leave boxes of cheese buns at the doorstep so she has something to eat when she comes home. I’ve also noticed that she’s lost weight.

Gale and Johanna come around. They talk about the house that they are planning to purchase in Cole Valley. Johanna has started a job in Alameda at a forensic lab. Gale is working for the City in its Justice Department.

I am faxing some contracts to Chicago when Dad comes into the bakery. It’s been awhile since he’s stopped by. I think it hurt for a while because this is where he and Mom started. Who knew that it would become such a successful company?

“Hey Dad.” I look up from the fax machine in our small office. “Just sending something to Chicago.”

“That’s great, son,” he tells me with a smile. “I’m really proud of you.”

“Nothing to be proud of,” I reply. “It’s what we’ve always wanted. What Mom would’ve wanted.”

“Mom would’ve wanted you to be happy.” Dad takes a seat in the chair across from me.

“I am happy.”

“No, you’re not.” I sit in the chair across from him. “You can’t fool me. I’m your father.”

“No one is ever really completely happy with their life,” I reply.

“I was.” He leans forward. “With your Mom, I mean. We weren’t happy every single moment of the day, but we were happy. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Why don’t you fight for her?”

“Because she has this dream,” I tell him. “I don’t belong in it. She deserves greatness.”

“Why don’t you belong in it?”

“I can’t leave,” I state. “She can’t stay.”

“Why do you do this to yourself, Peeta?” he asks angrily. “Why do you make it seem like you’re worth nothing to her? You’re her best friend.”

“She’s outgrown me. She doesn’t know what she wants.”

“I know she wanted children with you.” Dad leans forward. “Is that reason that you left? You’re scared of children? I know that it was hard losing Bean--”

“NO!” I jump from my seat. “She is too young! Katniss should be out there taking the world by storm. She shouldn’t be settling for a life with nothing but babies! I know her - she will regret it!”

“Are you afraid that she’ll regret you?”

I don’t answer.

“Oh, Peeta. This is not about her losing her dreams. This is about you losing her. You’re so afraid that she’ll find something better that you and leave, so you did the dirty work for her.” He walks over to me. “You have to have some faith in your wife.”

I feel my eyes burn. He’s right. I was so afraid of losing her that I’ve pushed her away. I decided to hurt her before she could hurt me.

“Why does it have to be her dreams or your dreams?” Dad puts a hand on my shoulder. “Did you ever think that she might have made a place in hers for you?”

++++++

“Hello?”

I take a deep breath before replying.

“Hey, Katniss,” I greet her through on the phone. I sit on my bed, with an open luggage bag right next to me.

“Hi, Peeta.” Her voice is soft and low. It usually sounds like that in the morning or when she is catching a cold.

“You sound sick.”

“I’ve been nursing this cold but it’s getting better,” she says. “Are you getting ready for your trip?”

“How did you know?”

I can the laughter in her voice. ”You’re a constant procrastinator. You call people when you need to avoid work. Remember during finals in our freshman year at State? You talked my ear off about some new recipe instead of studying.”

“You’re right, plus I hate packing,” I reply. “I wanted to call because I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to Prim’s party. I’ll have to finalize the plans.”

“Oh.” Her voice is laced with disappointment. “I’ll let Prim know, but she really wants you to come.”

“I know. I heard that you went apartment searching for her. Did you see anything that you liked?”

“Personally, I liked ‘The Marc’, but don’t tell her that. I placed a down payment on the apartment that she wanted. Prim will have to pay for half of it though, so she’ll be working for it.”

“She turned out great,” I say. ”I’m really proud of her.”

“Yeah.”

“Katniss?”

“I’m sorry.” I look over at the picture of us. “I’m sorry that I walked out like that. You didn’t deserve it and you didn’t do anything to deserve something like that.”

“Thanks, it’s nice to hear.” Her voice is muffled. “Do you regret marrying me? It wasn’t the best start, was it?”

I don’t hesitate to answer. ”Never for one second will I ever regret marrying you.”

I can hear her smile. ”Good. I know I wasn’t Suzie Homemaker or anything, but we had a good time.”

“And great sex.”

Katniss laughs and it is the greatest sound in the world. ”Yes, that too.” She quiets down. “I wish…I wish things had turned out differently, though.”

“You’re going to have a great life, Katniss,” I tell her.  And I mean it.

“There are some things missing from it, though.” I know she means me. Katniss’ romantic attempts are rare, but always treasured.

“Katniss, I love you. I’ve always loved you. You know that, right?”

“I know.” She sighs into the phone. “I love you, too. And you’re still my best friend.”

“I got the papers.” The divorce papers sit on my side table—unsigned.

“Oh.”

“Why did you give these to me?”

“Just in case you found someone else to love,” she tells me. “You should fall in love. You’re not like me. It’s not easy to love me or fall in love with me. You’re different. I don’t think there’s a person on Earth who couldn’t love you.”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, it’s true. Your mother told me that once. They weren’t planning for a third. When she first looked into your eyes, she was wholeheartedly in love with you. She always wanted more for you and so she pushed.”

“I know; I’m starting to understand her concept.”

“Take care of yourself, okay?” she tells me, her voice wavering.

“I will,” I reply and swallow the lump in my throat. “If you ever need to talk or you need help—“

“I will.”

“Katniss?”

“You’re wrong.” I pick up the picture of us. “You are unbelievably easy to fall in love with.”

She is silent for a moment.

“I should go now,” Katniss tells me.

“Good luck,” I say. “Remember, if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Katniss doesn’t respond and after a moment, she hangs up.

++++++

“You sure you’re not coming?” Dad asks me. He sits on my bed wearing a khaki blazer and button up. His hair is brushed back neatly. Dad’s hair is a lighter blonde intermixed with white, but his face is youthful, even more when he smiles.

“No, it wouldn’t be right,” I tell him. “You look nice.”

“Thanks.”

The doorbell rings and we both leave the room to answer it. Carrie and Wheaton are coming to get Dad, so I need to lock up.

When I open the door, I’m surprised to find Glimmer and Leah there.

“What are you two doing here?”

“We heard that you were going to sit here and mope,” Glimmer says. “So we’ve come to cheer you up and make sure you eat.”

Leah holds up a bag. “San Tung chicken wings. No one can resist them.”

I widen the doorway and the women walk in.

“Dad, you know Glimmer,” I say. “This is Leah Byrne, Glimmer’s girlfriend.”

“Nice to see you again,” my dad says to Glimmer. He shakes Leah’s hand. “I read about you in the Chronicle. You’re a pastry chef, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Leah says with a grin. “I’ve been in your bakery. Peeta showed me around once. It’s a lovely place.”

“Hey everyone!” It’s Carrie and she is walking slowly inside. Her long, dark dress drapes over her belly. Wheaton and Rhea follow in. My brother wears a button down and a tie while Rhea wears a bright pink dress with tutu.

“You look beautiful,” I tell my sister and kiss her cheek. I kneel before Rhea when Wheaton puts her down. “Hello there, ballerina.”

“I’m Rhea, not ballerina!” my niece responds with a stomp of her foot.

“You’re niece is just as headstrong as her Mom,” Wheaton jokes. Carrie smacks his arm, but looks up at him fondly.

“And accident-prone like her Dad,” Carrie tells me after she has greeted Glimmer and Leah. “She just fell outside since she decided to walk and spin at the same time.”

“I don’t see Wheaton as accident-prone,” Glimmer says.

“The first time we met, he knocked down a stack of files that I spent half the day organizing,” Carrie tells her. Wheaton blushes.

“I think that had more to do with you, dear,” Dad tells her. “He was enamored.”

“It was a horrible first impression.” She wraps her arms around my brother’s waist. “He got me anyway.”

It is hard to believe that Carrie and Wheaton had such a disastrous beginning to their marriage. They had rushed into it. Wheaton was still wary because of his past, and Carrie was still innocent when it came to love. They got it together, though.

A part of me is envious.

“Ready?” Wheaton asks Dad. He looks at me. “Are you sure that you’re not going to come?”

“I’m sure.”

Carrie approaches me and holds out a long white letter envelope. “This is for you.”

I recognize the familiar, messy scrawl of my wife’s writing.

“Thanks,” I say. Everyone looks at me expectantly. “You should get going. You’ll be late.”

“I run on Filipino and pregnant woman time,” Carrie says with a dismissive wave. ”What’s in the envelope?”

“Sweetheart, its Peeta’s envelope,” Wheaton tells her and places his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

“Bye, son,” Dad says. ”You know where to find us.” He looks at the envelope and then into my eyes. ”Remember that it doesn’t have to be her dreams or yours, okay?”

They all walk out and with a final wave, I close the door.

“So what’s in the envelope?” Glimmer asks.

“Glim! You could’ve waited until we filled him with chicken wings before asking!”

I sigh. Privacy is always hard to come by with friends and family like mine.

“Let’s go to the kitchen.”

++++++

“Are you excited about Chicago?” Leah asks as we sit in the kitchen. Boxes of Chinese food litter the table and we have just opened our fortune cookies.

There was no fortune in mine. A metaphor for my life.

I try not to think that Katniss and I had our celebratory wedding lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Or that Glimmer wears an olive jacket similar to hers. Or even that Leah’s hair is in a braid. The more I try to not think about her, however, the more I notice things that remind me.

The envelope burns on the counter.

“Yeah, I guess,” I reply and move my fork around my plate.

“You sound so excited for this opportunity,” Leah tells me, sarcasm heavy in her voice. “Wasn’t Chicago the reason that you’re staying?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t sound important to you,” she replies.

“Leah! “ Glimmer looks at her girlfriend.

“No, Glim, he’s not happy and he knows it,” she says and then she turns to me. “I know how it feels to lose someone because you’re scared. I loved this girl once. She was a really good friend of mine and I never said anything. She passed away a few years after that.”

“Would you still think the same knowing that she would be gone eventually?” I ask.

“I would rather have one moment of happiness than a lifetime of wondering,” she replies. Leah looks at Glimmer. “And if you’re lucky, you just might just get a second chance.”

I stand up and go to the counter. Opening the envelope, I pull out a single Polaroid photo. I recognize it right away. It is Katniss and I as children. We grin at the camera as Katniss holds an infant Prim in her lap. This was taken on the day that I met her.

On the white part of the photo is one sentence, ‘I need you. –K’

I place the picture back in the envelope.

I turn back to the couple.

“Leah,” I begin. ”I have a business proposition for you.”

She leans forward. “I’m listening.”

“Also, is there any way you can give me a ride?”

++++++

The night is chilly when I step out of Leah’s car.

“Thanks!” I call out to them.

“Good luck, Peeta,” Glimmer says and holds her hand out. I take it and grip it for a moment. “Don’t mess up, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

“We should get going,” Leah tells me. “We have an early start tomorrow.”

I nod and they drive off. I watch their car speeds away from me.

Looking up at the large, white building, I can hear the loud hip-hop music blasting from the windows. The blue lights can be seen from the large windows.

“Here goes nothing.” I walk into what looks like a gallery.

Inside, Prim’s classmates walk around me. They’re all dressed up like they’re going clubbing. One guy is even wearing a pimp suit. I’m thanking the stars that Prim is dating Derek and not that fool.

I look around for anyone who I might recognize.

I finally spot Rue and Rory, who are standing by the DJ.

“Peeta! What are you doing here?” Rue asks loudly because of the music.

“Do you know where Katniss is?” I yell so that she can hear me.

“She’s upstairs with your family,” Rory says to me. “Prim might know. Do you want us to find her?”

I shake my head. “I’ll look. Don’t tell anyone I’m here.” They nod seriously and I look for the stairs.

Taking the steps two at a time, I arrive at the top of the stairs.

I find her right away. She is with Johanna and Gale. The music on this floor is the same but it’s not as loud. The music has changed to a slow song and I see couples assembling on the dance floor.

Taking a deep breath, I walk over and tap her shoulder. Katniss turns and the skirt of her black sleeveless dress swirls around her. Her eyes widen when she sees me.

“Peeta, what are you doing here?”

I’m tongue tied by her beauty. Why did I think that I could let her go?

I say the first thing that comes into my mind.

“Dance it off?” I hold out my hand.

She looks at my offered hand for a moment before she places her hand in mine. Our eyes follow one another as we walk to the middle of the dance floor. Her grey eyes search my blue ones for an explanation. I pull her gently to me and place the hand that I held onto so that it is touching the back of my neck. Her other one interlaces it and we begin to sway.

_“And you had enough love for the both of us_   
_But I…I did you wrong, I admit I did_   
_But now I'm facing the rest of my life alone, whoa…”_

“Why are you here?” she asks again.

“Because I fucked up,” I reply. “I really fucked up.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was afraid that once you got out there in the real world, you’d realize that you wanted a different life,” I try to explain.  “One where you weren’t tied down.”

Her eyes shimmer in dark blue light of the room. “Peeta, why would you think that?”

“I didn’t think that you and I were strong enough to go against anything,” I continue. “I guess I didn’t have enough faith in us and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that I hurt you. You deserve so much better than me.”

“I don’t want anyone but you,” she replies in a choked voice.

“I know,” I tell her. “I don’t expect you to forgive right now or at all. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.” I put my mouth to her ear. “You deserve to know that I am so in love with you, Katniss. I love you so much that sometimes I want to stop whatever I am doing just to go and tell you. And the thought of losing you is killing me.”

I don’t realize that she is pressing herself closer to me.

“I just needed you to know,” I continue. “I didn’t want you to leave and not know it. You’re my best friend and you’ve always called me out. You’ve been calling me out since I left and I kept on pushing you away like an idiot. And as much as I love our friendship, I love being your husband more. I want us to grow together, to be stronger—together.  I hope that you’ll keep me in your life. Because I need you.”

“What about the business? What about Chicago?”

“As of this evening, Leah and Glimmer have bought a share of Mellark Bakery,” I explain. “The two of them will be in Chicago tomorrow morning as my partners. Glimmer has a Marketing degree and that was what the meeting was about anyway. She is at home, reviewing my files as we speak.”

“So what are you going to do?” she asks.

“I’m going to come with you if you’ll let me. If you want me.”

We stop. Katniss pulls away, looking into my eyes as she does. I hold my breath and wait. I’ll wait forever if I have to.

Instead, she takes my hand and traces her index finger on the wedding band that rests on my finger. Then she takes the pearl ring that is on her right ring finger and puts it back on the left.

That’s all the answer that I needed.

++++++

We sit in front of the fireplace at my Dad’s house. He suddenly decided that he wanted to spend the night at Wheaton and Carrie’s, since he doesn’t want them to make the three minute drive from their home to ours. Prim and Rue are at the other house having a sleepover. They will soon be separated by a 45 minute drive, making sleepovers a rarity.

That leaves Katniss and me alone at our parents’ home.

“Do you want a blanket or something?” I ask her.

“Yes, please,” she says and I grab a soft mink blanket and drape it around her shoulders.  She rips off a piece of the cheese bun she’s eating and hands the rest to me. “These are so good. That gallery was so expensive, and I spent a shitload on teeny tiny pieces of food.”

“It’s even better if you toast it,” I tell her and carefully put my piece against the gentle flame. When it is a golden brown, I pull it out and tear a piece off for her.  “Catch.” I blow on the piece and she obliges by opening her mouth. I toss the piece and she catches it easily.

She chews thoughtfully and nods. “It is good. Let me try.” Katniss toasts her piece and I grin at its charred state. “Damn, I burnt myself.” Tearing a piece, she aims for my mouth but hits my chin instead.

“You suck,” I joke but eat the piece anyways. “And you’ve burnt my chin.”

Katniss crawls towards me and cups my cheek. She places her lips softly against my chin.

“Tease,” I whisper.

She kisses my lips in response and I cradle her face in my hands. When we pull away, Katniss grins. I’ve never seen her so happy.

I will try to keep that smile on her face forever.

I reach behind me and pull out a stack of papers.

“What are they?” she asks as she takes them.

“The divorce papers.” I look at the fireplace. “Burn them.”

She tosses them in and we watch them blacken until they are nothing but ash.

“I have one more thing,” I say to her. “This.” I pull out an old piece of notepad paper for her to read. Her eyes widen and she laughs.

“You kept the prenup,” Katniss says and looks over it. “I can’t believe it.”

“Do you want to make another one?” I ask her.

“Toss that thing in the fire and don’t even think about making another.”

“Can we just keep the whole intercourse bit?” I ask with a teasing smile. She crosses her arms. “Will you allow it?”

Katniss’ eyes soften and she nods. “I’ll allow it.”

I crush the prenup in a ball and toss it into the fire. Katniss settles against me, her head on my lap and I toy with the tips of her long, dark hair. She watches the fire, her skin glowing as she stares.

“What happens now?” I ask, my words filling the silent room.

“Meet me in Tokyo.”

**FIN**

* * *

 

First off, I want to thank all of you who have continued to read “Two Wrongs” after its deletion from FF.net. Your loyalty means the world and I love that many of you have come to see my version of these characters as friends or family. You’ve cried during happy moments and have gotten pissed at the bad moments. It means a lot to me. It means that I’ve done these characters justice.

Thank you to Chelzie, my wonderful beta. I don’t think that half of the gibberish would’ve made sense if it wasn’t for her. I’m so happy to have her as my beta and friend.

A few things:

The restaurant that Peeta and Prim eat in is called the Brickhouse Café. It is about two blocks away from AT&T Park where the Giants play.

Stanford is in Palo Alto. “The Marc” is luxury apartment complex that is few blocks away from the University.

Prim’s party is in the Terra Gallery in the SOMA district of San Francisco.

Carrie refers to “Filipino” time, which basically means that you always come an hour or more late to events.

San Tung is a Chinese restaurant in the Inner Sunset. It has been referred to in a previous chapter.

The last ‘Dance It Off’ song is: “If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time” sung by R. Kelly

I hope you’ve enjoyed this story. It has been an honor writing it for y’all.

All comments can be sent to [JLaLaFics@yahoo.com](mailto:JLaLaFics@yahoo.com), ask/submit on Tumblr or on AO3.

Next: The Epilogue, Five Years Later, from the POV of the lovely, sassy Primrose Everdeen.


	26. Epilogue: Primrose

Here it is--the epilogue!

The characters of The Hunger Games do not belong to me.

_So hard to find my way_  
 _Now that I'm all on my own._  
 _I saw you just the other day,_  
 _My, how you have grown…_

_-Van Morrison (Brown Eyed Girl)_

Two Wrongs

Epilogue: Primrose

**_Five Years Later_ **

“Come on, baby,” I say. “Start for Mama…”

I turn the key and scream in delight when the engine roars to life. Peeta just couldn’t get rid of the Chevy after he joined Katniss in Tokyo years ago. Instead, he kept it in the capable hands of our father.

After five years, Katniss and Peeta are finally coming home.

Since I had just finished my finals and was staying at Dad’s, I volunteered to pick them up from SFO. Dad was working at the bakery but would be back in time to welcome them home.

I hate driving this car, but mine wouldn’t possibly fit the shitload of luggage that they probably have. They have been everywhere.

I get onto to the 280 and turn on the radio.

“I wish they all could be California girls….” I sing along as I hold onto the wheel with one hand and put my sunglasses on with the other.

After my sister had left for Tokyo, Peeta spent a month settling his affairs while I began to pack up for Stanford. My sister had surprised me with a new apartment in ‘The Marc’, a complex close to campus.  She returned after a month to help me get settled in and to follow up with Beetee.

After her month was up, Peeta flew back with her.

We talked regularly through Skype since Peeta was using it to communicate with Glimmer and Leah, his partners for the family bakery.

After Tokyo, Katniss was sent to London for two years where she opened another office with Chaff, Beetee’s new partner. She and Peeta had rented a flat around Baker Street. The pictures that Peeta sent were beautiful and cheered me up during my long lab hours at school. My sister looked very much like a Londoner in the Burberry coat that Dad sent her. It had been Mom’s.

Katniss was then transferred New Dehli and has been there ever since.

While I missed them like crazy, I still had Dad and the rest of the family. I also had Rue and Rory, who had settled in an apartment in the Ingleside District of the city. I had Derek.

Derek. Biting my lip, I hum to myself to keep my eyes from watering. I miss him every day.

It was the only time that Katniss took a leave from work during these last five years. It was the car accident that changed my life, though I don’t remember it. We had spent that night at a club for Rue’s birthday and I was exhausted from dancing with the birthday girl. I was asleep when the Buick crashed into the driver’s side of his Honda Civic. I woke up to my sister’s grey eyes. I had turned twenty in a hospital and my boyfriend was gone.

Cars had become my enemy at one point. They had taken my father, my mother and eventually, Derek. It took me a year before I was able to drive one with Wheaton in the passenger’s side.

I cried for a week after that first time.

The nightmares don’t always make sense. I hear the sounds of brakes and Derek muttering a curse sometimes in them. There is never a visual, however.  

“Oh shit!” I exclaim, my thoughts causing me to almost miss the exit for SFO.  I signal and merge into the lane that will take me to the ‘Arrivals’ parking. Finding the garage, I find a space and make a run for baggage claim where I promised I meet them.

It’s a hot day. Thank God I’m wearing shorts and a loose white t-shirt. I wouldn’t be sprinting this fast if I wasn’t. My long hair flies behind me and I rush down the escalator to baggage claim.

It looks like there were a lot of arrivals, even though it’s a weekday. I look around me to see if I can spot my brother and sister.

I don’t need to. The crowd suddenly parts and I see them.

They are in each other’s arms. My sister’s forehead rests against Peeta’s lips as he kisses her forehead. She is smiling contently with her eyes close. They are ridiculously adorable.

As I walk towards them, I realize that there’s something different. However, they both look the same. Peeta is in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Katniss is in a long navy dress and sandals, her hair in her usual braid.

Her dress makes her rack look huge. I should ask her if I can borrow it. God knows I need the boobs!

Then I _finally_ get a clue.

“You’re pregnant!” It comes out of nowhere.

Katniss and Peeta turn quickly.

“Prim!” Katniss rushes to me and I am in her arms in a heartbeat. I can feel the swell of her belly as we hold each other. Tears burn in my eyes and I allow them to fall. I missed her so much.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask as I wipe them away.

“We didn’t want you to know about your niece over the phone,” my sister explains.

“You’re having a girl?” I kneel before her belly. “Hi baby. I’m your Auntie Prim and I can’t wait to spoil you rotten!” I stand and turn to my brother. “You know, I talk to you on Skype at least once a week. You could’ve told me!”

“Your sister insisted on surprising you,” he tells me before pulling me in for a hug. “She’s the mother of my child and I have to listen.”

I grin at him. “So you finally wore her down, huh?”

“In more ways than one,” he replies and meets Katniss’ eyes. She has the good grace to blush.

“Excuse me while I get your luggage, then vomit on the carousel,” I tell them as I walk off.

I can hear them laughing behind me and I smile to myself.

++++++

“Let me drive,” Peeta says as we approach the Chevy. “I missed my baby.” I toss the keys at him and he easily catches them with one hand while the other pushes the luggage cart.

Katniss and I walk behind him. My sister’s arm is settled protectively around my shoulders. She’s been like this since the accident. It wasn’t easy for her to leave after I recovered, but I urged her to. It wasn’t that I didn’t need her, but rather I needed time for myself to mourn.

I open the door and push the passenger’s seat forward so she can get in the backseat.

“Do you need help, little mother?” I ask and hold my hand out for her.

She scowls and I try not to laugh. “I can get in just fine.” Katniss hops in easily and I join her in the back.

“Don’t be fooled by the belly,” Peeta tells me when he gets in the driver’s seat. “There was a pool with a water slide at the apartment complex we lived in. Your sister has been on it repeatedly despite the many times I’ve told her not to.” Unlike me, he starts the engine easily and sighs happily. “I missed my car.”

Peeta finds his way out and back onto 280 easily. It’s like they never left. He happily sings along to the radio.

“I left my home in Georgia, heading for the Frisco Bay…”

Katniss and I look at one another, our expressions amused.

“What can I say, Prim? I didn’t marry him for his voice,” she tells me. “Plus, he’s really cute.” He winks at her from the rearview mirror.

Katniss puts an arm around me pulling me closer, as close as our seatbelts allow, and I put my head on her shoulder.

“I can’t believe you’re finally home.”

“Beetee made damn sure that he found a place for me in the offices here,” she responded. “He and E know that I’ll be going on maternity leave.” Katniss places a hand on her belly. “I wasn’t going to deliver my India anywhere else but San Francisco.”

I pull my head up from her shoulders and look over at her. “You’re one of those people?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re naming her after the place where she was conceived,” I say to her. “You want to try to explain that to everyone?”

“She was conceived in Paris,” Peeta says as he drives. “We took a holiday there six months ago and well—boom.”

“Gross.”

“India was where I found out about her. India was where I heard her heartbeat for the first time,” Katniss says as she looks down at the swell, a small smile playing on her lips.

I place my hand over hers and put my head back on her shoulder.  “It’s perfect then.”

I must be tired because when I wake up, we are already pulling into Dad’s driveway. Katniss is playing with my hair when I finally open my eyes. Peeta is taking their luggage out from the trunk.

“Did you have a good nap?” she asks with an amused smile.

“Did I talk in my sleep?”

“So how many bead necklaces did you get during Mardi Gras?”

I feel my face heat up.

“What exactly did I say?” I ask as I sit up.

“Something along the line of ‘Two bead necklaces won’t even get you a half a boob!’” she mimics me and then turns to me seriously. “Are there pictures?”

“First off, I don’t sound like that. Second, do you want me to be honest?”

She nods, then checks to make sure that Peeta isn’t coming to get us before turning back to me.

“I’m not sure. Rue and I were pretty wasted.” I try in vain to hide my smile.

“Prim, those things always come back to bite you in the ass!” She shakes her head and sighs.

I look over at her and notice that her cheeks have turned red. “Do you have something to tell me?”

“No.” Her eyes look around nervously.

“Come on!” I put my chin on her shoulder and look up at her. “Please, sis.”

“I can’t. All I can say is that it involves me, Peeta, and being banned from Windsor Castle.”

++++++

Opening the door of the house, I go into Dad’s office and find him napping in his chair. His walking shoes are still on, which means he must have just come home. I take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. He wakes up and gives me a smile.

“Hello dearest,” he greets.

“Hi Dad,” I say, kissing his cheek.

“Where are Katniss and Peeta?”

“Close your eyes,” I tell him.

He raises his eyebrows and sits up. “Why?”

“Come on, play along,” I urge and give him what I think is my most charming smile.

“Okay.” He closes his eyes.

Going back out, I take Katniss’ hand and Peeta follows behind her. I lead her in front of Dad and then take his hand so I can place it on her belly.

“Hi Dad,” Katniss greets him, her voice choked with tears. It’s been a year and a half since he has seen her and Peeta.

Dad opens his eyes and realizes what he is touching. In seconds, Dad is hugging Katniss as he weeps into her shoulder. Peeta walks over and Dad pulls him in to join.

“I’m so happy,” Dad says when they have all pulled apart and looks at Katniss’ belly in amazement. “You’ve wanted this for so long.”

“We’re so sorry that we didn’t tell you,” Peeta says to him. “We wanted to wait—just in case. When we were sure, we figured that it would just be better to wait to tell everyone.”

“No, it was perfect, son,” he says. “I’ve missed you both.”

“Dad, I’m starving,” Katniss tells him. “Do you have any cheese buns and some Nutella?”

“It begins,” I say as we walk of the office.

Peeta puts his arm around me and grins. “Wait till she wakes you up in the middle of the night crying over wanting a burrito.”

++++++

“Can we come in?” Peeta asks at my doorway. Katniss stands next to him with a mug in her hand.

Since Glimmer and Leah are renting out our old home, I have been staying with Dad. Until they find their own home, my brother and sister will be staying here, too. Dad doesn’t mind one bit.

Truthfully, I think he would prefer if they stayed. The house can be lonely at times.

“Come in.” I pat my bed and they walk inside, hand in hand.

I see how happy they are and I’m jealous. I try not to feel like this sometimes, but I am lonely.

Katniss sits next to me while Peeta settles at the foot of the bed.

“I brought you this,” Katniss says and hands me the mug. “Do you still drink chamomile?”

“Sometimes.” I take the mug and sip. The floral scent calms me immediately. “Especially when I miss you.”

“You’ve been getting enough sleep, right?” Peeta asks me, anxiousness in his eyes. Katniss’ eyes echo the same sentiment.

After the accident, the nightmares kept me up at night. I wouldn’t sleep, so Peeta and Katniss would stay up with me. I would play Scrabble with Peeta and Katniss would make me chamomile tea.

“Yes, I’m better,” I assure them both. “Getting my six to eight hours and everything, I promise.”

“What are you doing?” my sister asks.

“Going over my coursework and my hospital hours,” I tell them. “It’s going to be a very busy six to seven years.”

“It’s nice that the hospital is close to your apartment though,” Katniss says. “Who do you hang out with?”

“People from school, people from work.” I give her a wry smile. “I’m not seeing anyone right now, so I come home on the weekends. I babysit the kids or have dinner with Rue and Rory.  Sometimes I go to Napa with Haymitch and Effie.” Katniss still looks worried. “I’m not alone all the time, I promise.”

 “I should’ve stay instead of going back to London,” she says. “You needed me.”

“I will always need you, Katniss, but I needed that time to learn how to cope by myself.” I play with the tips of my hair. “I think if you and Peeta had stayed…I would’ve tried to put a smile on my face because I never want you to see me sad.”

“We never wanted you to feel that way,” Peeta tells me.

“You didn’t cause this to happen,” I reply. “An idiot running a red light did. I’m a big girl. You had to let me deal with it in my own way.”

“Okay,” Katniss says, resigned. For now, she will let it go. “Have you been on any dates?”

“Some, but nothing serious.”

“Why?” she asks.

I look over at her and she pats her lap. I lay my head down on it. When the nights were bad after the accident, Katniss would rub my head. We would talk about everything and nothing. It usually worked - though if it didn’t, I would take a sleeping pill.

“Because I don’t want anything casual, I want something real. Like you two,” I say as she runs her hand through my hair. “I want to love someone. I want to argue with someone until we’re laughing at each other. I want the spark.”

“Damn,” Peeta says. “As much I don’t want anyone touching you, I do want you to be happy. You deserve it, Primmy.”

“Thank you,” I say to him. “How did you get over the nightmares after the accident?”

“Your sister helped,” he replies. “Just her being there was enough. You don’t ever get rid of them, but it’s nice to have someone to wake up to so you can talk about it.”

“That’s nice. See? That’s exactly what I want.” I close my eyes, relaxed by my sister’s soothing touch.

I sleep well for the rest of the night.

++++++

_“False alarms and false starts_   
_All made better by the sound of your heart_   
_All the pain of the last time_   
_I prayed so hard it was the last time_   
_Your mama said that you danced for her_   
_Did you wiggle your hands for her?”_

“Jay-Z?” I ask as I walk into the kitchen.

Peeta is at the stove and then turns to me with a smile. “Morning, Primmy. How do you like your eggs?” He lowers the volume to the iPod player.

“Easy like my men,” I say as I sit on a stool next to the island. I look at the stack of muffins next to me. There’s also a mountain of waffles on a tray close by. “That’s a lot of food you’re making.”

“Everyone is coming over for breakfast, so I figured I better make a lot,” he says.

“Where’s Katniss?” I start taking plates out of the cupboard and place it on the counter. I grab one for myself.

When the boys come over, it will be a free-for-all, so I’d better get a head start on eating. I stack a set of waffles on my plate followed by some bacon which is on a cookie sheet by the stove.

“She’s still asleep,” he says as he places my eggs on my plate. “India takes a lot of energy from her.”

“Seriously though, how did you convince her to have a baby?”

“I didn’t convince her. She convinced me.”

“How did she know that it was time?”

“I guess she knew in London.” Peeta sits in the stool next to me. “We were walking around the Camden Market and she just turned to me and said that she was ready to try for a baby.”

“That was it?”

“She’s always wanted another baby since Bean, but I think it just took her awhile to get the courage to actually say it out loud and really mean it,” he replies.  “And it took us awhile to actually conceive. She was getting a bit worried.”

“Wow, I never thought that Katniss would be worried about not having a baby,” I say as I take a bite of bacon.

“People change.” He gets up and grabs a mug from the cupboard. Then he pours himself some coffee from the pot on the counter. I watch him fix his cup, adding cream and sugar. “You did. It’s a part of growing up.” He takes a sip and places the cup down. “I miss the coffee from here. I could never get a decent cup in New Dehli.”

“Do you think I’ll ever be ready to love someone else?” I grab the mug and take a sip.

He shakes his head in disbelief and smiles. “I will never get use to you doing that.” I place the cup back on the counter. “You’ll know when you’re ready. Just like your sister did.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then Katniss and I will give you a sign.”

“ANYONE HERE?” It’s Wheaton.

“We’re in the kitchen!” I yell.

“Peeta!” Carrie rushes in and Peeta stands to hug her.  “We’ve missed you!”

“Hey, sis.”

Wheaton follows with Leo and Rhea, who hold his hands. Rhea, who is eight going on nine, waves at me and then runs over to Peeta.

“Uncle Peeta!” He lifts her in his arms. Rhea is petite like her mother and looks even tinier against Peeta’s broad body. Her long, caramel hair sways against her back.

“My Rhea,” he says fondly as he places her down. Peeta meets Wheaton’s eyes. “Hi, big brother.”

Wheaton doesn’t say a word but just pulls Peeta in for a hug.

Leo clings onto Wheaton’s leg. He is four and the quiet one. His eyes are dark and soulful like Carrie’s, but he is a mini-Wheaton. I’ve seen pictures of my eldest brother as a child and except for the eyes, they look exactly alike.

Peeta kneels before him. “Hi Leo!”

“Hi.” It comes out in a whisper.

“I have presents for you, your sister and Sonny, too. Your Auntie Katniss is still asleep, so I wanted to wait until she was awake to give them to you.”

“I’m here.” Katniss walks in with a yawn. She is wearing a long black and white striped maxi-dress. She gives them all a tired smile. “Hi, everyone.”

“You’re huge.” A voice says and we turn to see Rye, who is holding Sonny’s hand. Marvel follows behind holding a fruit basket.

Katniss glares at him and Peeta puts an arm around her. “Be nice to my wife. She’s carrying your niece!”

Everyone goes silent. I try not to giggle at everyone’s expressions.

“You’re pregnant?” Marvel asks in disbelief.

“No, I’m just retaining a lot of water – of course I’m pregnant!” she responds. Marvel goes to her and they embrace.

Rye kisses her cheek and then hugs Peeta. “I didn’t know that you had it in you, bro.”      

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Wheaton adds after he hugs Katniss.

“That’s the father of my child that you’re talking about,” Katniss tells them.

“Another baby in the family,” Carrie says excitedly.  “Congratulations, you two.”

A few minutes later, Dad walks in with the morning paper and smiles at the scene. I walk over to him and take his hand.

“You can be my date for this breakfast,” I tell him as we watch everyone.

Sonny is feeling Katniss’ belly while Rhea and Leo watch in awe. Carrie and Marvel are picking off the fruit basket as they chat. The three brothers sit at the coffee table chatting as they eat waffles.

“One day, you’re going to have someone else as your date,” he tells me.

“Are you trying to dump me?” I give him a mock pout.

He kisses the top of my head. “Never.”

++++++

**_One Month Later_ **

“Katniss is pregnant, Mom.” I sit in the grass and fix the bouquet that I’m leaving. “I suppose you already know that. Maybe you made it happen,” I say, smiling to myself. Knowing our Mom, if anyone could influence a higher being, it would be her. “Her name is India. India Mellark. Sounds like she’s going to be a model, right? Rye thinks that she’s going to be a Mission hipster.”

I’ve already visited my parents and told them. I didn’t want to bother Katniss about coming with me. She doesn’t talk about it, but sometimes I think that she’s still not over them leaving us so soon, especially our mother. They weren’t as close as she wanted them to be.

“They just bought a house in Laurel Village. It’s close to the CPMC so unless Peeta goes completely nuts, they’ll get to the hospital quickly. I’m still staying with Dad, though. He was pretty bummed out when he found out that they bought a house. Peeta put him in charge of helping with the nursery, so I think he’s getting over it.”

I stand and brush the grass off my jeans. “I have one more visit to make, but Katniss and Peeta are coming to visit next time. They would’ve come today, but they had an appointment with Annie. She’s going to be delivering India.”

I press three fingers to my lips and then touch them to the headstone.

I get into my car and drive to another lot in the cemetery. This visit is always the hardest.

Taking the daisies, I place them in front of his grave. I can tell that Derek’s mom has come by recently because there is also a bouquet of white roses in a plastic holder. I haven’t talked to her in a while. I guess it’s just been too hard for both of us.

“Hey babe,” I say as I sit. “I thought about you a few days ago while I was eating Cracker Jacks with Katniss. Remember, we had them after we—you know – for the first time.” My face warms up at the memory.

It had been an awkward for both of us, that first time. We were young, maybe too young, but we really loved each other. As we began to explore more, we found our way to one another and it had become really sweet towards the end.

Sometimes when I’m sleeping, I swear I can feel him kissing my shoulder to wake me up like he used to.

“Katniss couldn’t understand why I had become so quiet,” I say. “It would’ve been too awkward to tell her that I wanted to cry because I was remembering that it was our first post-coital snack.” Laughing quietly, I trace his name. “We had a good time, didn’t we?”

Playing with the bits of grass, I continue to talk to him.

“I’ve decided something,” I tell him. “I think it’s time for me to learn how to open up again. I mean, let’s face it; I haven’t been quite the same since you left me, and I’m lonely.” I wipe my wet eyes. “It doesn’t mean that I’m going to forget you. It just means that I’m not going to close myself off to the possibility of loving someone else. Are you mad?”

Of course, he doesn’t answer.

++++++

“These 4-D ultrasound pictures are freaky,” I say as I look at the photos. “I know I’m in medicine, but I don’t think I could be in obstetrics.”

“Then what are you going to go into?” my sister asks.

“I was thinking maybe Oncology.”

Peeta pats my shoulder as he sets down a plate of cheese buns in front of us.

“The house is turning out great,” I tell him and then turn to her. “It suits you both.”

There’s a fresh coat of white paint in the kitchen and the dark hardwood floors have been redone so they gleam.

“Dad and I have been doing most of the work,” he says. “I think it’ll be done in time for the party on Saturday.”

“Haymitch sent me a text.” I pull out my phone and read the message. “He’s bringing 2 reds and a Moscato for the party.”

“He would bring something that I couldn’t have,” Katniss says with a groan and then looks over at Peeta. “We want to show you something. Do you have time?”

“Yup! I’m just meeting Rue on Haight to pick out naughty lingerie so her honeymoon with my best friend can go well,” I reply as we walk out of the kitchen. Rue and Rory have been engaged for a year and their wedding is next month, followed by a honeymoon in Cabo.

“I can’t believe Rue and Rory are getting married,” Peeta says as we go upstairs. I look at the pictures that are hung on the adjacent wall. My brother sure became a shutterbug during their travels. He’s actually pretty good at it. “Weren’t they just sitting in my bakery singing together?”

“They sing at bigger venues now,” I reply. “They’re performing at Cha Cha Cha next week. You should come.” Their side business of performing at clubs has paid for their honeymoon. Not to mention that Rue is a nurse at UCSF.

“We wanted to show you this,” Katniss says as we walk in the room next to the stairs.

The walls of the room are a honey yellow. White framed pictures of nursery rhymes are displayed on the wall and in the middle of the room is a beautiful white cradle.

“You finished the nursery.” I walk to the cradle. “Wow, that freaky blob baby from the ultrasound is actually coming.”

“Our daughter is not really going to look like that!” Peeta says. “At least, I hope not.”

A bookcase stands against the wall, right next to the crib. I walk over to it and pick out a book.

“Love You Forever,” I read out loud and then turn to them. “You’ve had this book for a while, haven’t you? I remember it.” I open the book. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

“She likes your voice,” Katniss says and takes my hand to put it on her belly. I feel the hard kick and look up at Katniss. I’m thrilled to feel India move, but I’m scared too. I hope she loves me, because I’m already crazy for her. My sister smiles at my expression. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

I can only nod. I’m afraid if I try to talk, I’ll burst into tears.

++++++

“I put the cookies on the plate and took them outside, Auntie Prim,” Rhea says to me.

“Thanks sweetie,” I reply as I cut pieces of fruit and place them in a bowl. “Go ahead and go play with the other kids, you’ve earned it.” The little girl jets out to the backyard.

“Look at you!” I look up to see Haymitch and Effie walking into the kitchen. “The Domesticated Goddess.”

“Haha, now where’s my drink?” I give him a kiss on the cheek and then hug Effie.

“Point me to the glasses,” he tells me. I nod my head at the cabinets in front of me. “Are you still coming with us next week?” Haymitch finds the corkscrew easily. He has a magic way of finding these things.

“To the Headlands? Of course, the pictures of you trying to hike will be so worth it,” I tell him and then turn to Effie. “Are we still going shopping on Union tomorrow?”

“Of course, darling,” Effie replies. “I need your opinion on this dress that I tried on last week.”

Haymitch hands me the glass and I grab a tray of sandwiches with my other hand. We all walk out into the back of Katniss and Peeta’s yard together. Everyone is already outside.

I take a sip. ”Excuse me, I have to feed the pregnant women first.”

“Thank God, I’m starving,” Johanna says when I hold out the tray. She grabs a sandwich.

“You look about ready to go,” I say to her. “When are you due?”

“Last week,” she replies. “Don’t be surprised if I drop it right here.”

“What a nice image,” Katniss tells her and takes a sandwich from me.  “Thanks.”

“No problem. If you need more, just yell,” I say before going to the serving table.

I watch the group around me.

The kids play a game of Tag with Marvel and Rye.  Sonny’s high pitched laugh is heard and I smile. Thank God for the day that she came to us. I think of her poor, young mother who was too young to have her.  She would be happy that her daughter has such wonderful parents. Marvel and Rye worship her.

Dad stands talking to Carrie and surprisingly Malou, Mom’s nurse. She and Dad ran into one another about a month ago. Nothing has happened yet, but we’ve been seeing a lot of her lately. I don’t mind and neither does Katniss. The boys, however, seem to be watching him a little more. They aren’t quite ready to see another woman by Dad’s side—we’ll see.

Wheaton is talking to Glimmer and Leah, probably about the bakery. Since they’ve partnered with Peeta, the bakery has flourished even more. In fact, they’re contemplating creating a food truck for events.

Rue and Rory sit in a lawn chair fiddling with his new guitar, his wedding gift from Rue.

Haymitch and Effie are talking to Gale, who stands next to Peeta at the grill. My brother meets my eyes and I raise my glass to him.

It seems, for now, all is right with the world.

Someone from behind me flicks my nose and I turn.

“You.”

“Me,” Cato replies with a grin.

The last time I saw Cato, I was fifteen. I had flour on my nose because I was helping Peeta bake. Cato flicked it off right as I answered the door to let him in. As much as I thought he was cute, I hated being teased.

“You look dressed up for the occasion,” I remark as I look at the suit he’s wearing.

“I just got off work,” he tells me.

“What do you do?”

“I teach for the Criminal Justice Department at State now. I had an early Saturday class. I’m surprised that your friend, Rory, didn’t say anything. He was in my class before he graduated.”

I look over at Rory and Rue who have been staring at us. They look down, suddenly interested with their own shoes.

“Hmm. Yeah, he never said anything.”

We both go silent, standing awkwardly next to each other.

“You look different,” Cato tells me.

“Yeah in seven years, I’ve managed to grow some boobs.” Did I just say that? “Sorry. I haven’t eaten and I’m running on Moscato only.”

“No, it’s fine.” Our eyes meet again. His have green flecks in them, and I find it oddly appealing. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, you did grow a decent pair but I was talking about your eyes.” He looks down at the ground, embarrassed.

“What about them?”

“It’s like you know something that everyone else around doesn’t know,” Cato explains, his eyes fixed on me. I like the way he looks at me, like there’s no one else around.

“I’ve managed to gain some life experience. After all, I’m not fifteen anymore.”

“No, you definitely aren’t,” he agrees and his cheeks darken. “You’re beautiful.”

We go silent again.

“Thank you,” I say after a moment. “I’m glad you made it here.”

“I just happened to run into Peeta a week ago and he invited me.” He turns to me again. “I’m glad I came.”

I feel something that I haven’t felt in a long time. The spark.

Peeta was right. I would know when I was ready.

I look over at my brother and sister. They’re watching Cato and me.

Katniss smiles softly at us and Peeta gives me one brief nod.

Could they be any more obvious?

_“If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life,_  
 _Never make a pretty woman your wife._  
 _So from my personal point of view,_  
 _Get an ugly girl to marry you…”_

“I hate this song,” I say with a grimace and look around to find the music player. “Who put it on the iPod?”

“It’s not so bad,” Cato reasons. “I think it’s catchy.”

“You haven’t listened to these lyrics, have you?” I look over at him and put my hand on my hips. “Just when I was starting to like you.”

“Can I redeem myself?”

“How?”

He holds out his hand. “Dance it off?”

I turn to look at him in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”

“I heard Katniss say it to Peeta once. I thought it was kind of cute.”

I look at his outstretched hand and hopeful face. I like the way the corner of his eyes crinkle when he smiles and I stop myself from reaching over to cup his cheek.

I like him. And it’s just a dance. Nothing ever happened because of a dance, right?

So I take his hand.

* * *

The ‘Dance It Off’ has been passed on.

Thank you for reading Two Wrongs. It’s been a privilege to write.

Once again, thank you to Chelzie, who in my opinion, is the best beta EVER.

Some notes:

The 280 is one of the main highways here besides the 101.

SFO is the San Francisco International Airport, which actually located in South San Francisco.

After many chapters, Katniss and Peeta are FINALLY having a baby. As much as people wanted it to happen sooner, I always knew that she wouldn’t have the baby until the Epilogue. I wanted her and Peeta to have some fun, roaming the world and such.

I’ve always loved the name India so I live vicariously through the Mellarks. The image of Prim making a face because they were naming their baby after the place she was conceived in just came to me one day.

Once again, ‘The Marc’ is an apartment complex in Palo Alto close to Stanford.

Cha Cha Cha is a tapas restaurant and bar. There are two of them in the city, one in the Mission and one in the Haight.

Laurel Village is a neighborhood very close to the Richmond. It is definitely more expensive and it is close to CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center).

So I feel very weird about the 4-D ultrasound photos. They’re just not for me. If I was to ever have a child, I think I would opt out of doing it. Maybe I’ll change my mind, but the few I’ve seen have actually scared me.

“Love You Forever” is a children’s book written by Robert Munsch. It’s always been one of my favorites.

Yes…Prim ends up with Cato. I actually decided this a long time ago.

Songs:

“California Girls”-The Beach Boys

“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”-Otis Redding

“Glory”-Jay-Z ft. Blue Ivy Carter

And of course…

“If You Want to be Happy for the Rest of Your Life”-Jimmy Soul

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-JLaLa


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